To Stand Alone
by Quicksilver
Summary: Written with Una Moonstar. A retelling of Sailor Moon with a decidedly darker tone- what if Usagi doesn't have anyone to help her? No Luna, no Senshi.... Sailor Moon, instead of a being a heroine, is a vigilante.
1. Prologue: Trial by Fire

Hiya folks!  
  
Well, I seem to be the prolific writer lately, huh? Fortunately, this time I had some help - and are we ever having fun! Brace yourself, folks - QS and I have decided to collaborate!  
  
Hey! Stop running! Come back here and take your torture like a man! Um, or . . . whatever.  
  
Anyway, QS would like the world to know that posting this on my birthday is her birthday present to me. Isn't she great? We really are having fun, and we hope you enjoy!  
  
So now, on with the fic!  
  
~Una Moonstar  
  
  
EMSiT Productions Presents:  
To Stand Alone  
by: Una Moonstar and Quicksilver  
Kick8@hotmail.com and mbsilvana@yahoo.com  
standard disclaimers  
  
****************************************************  
  
Prologue: Trial by Fire  
  
Tsukino Usagi and Osaka Naru had been best friends all of their lives- the tell-everything, write-in-an-exchange-diary kind of friends. Usagi and Naru were practically glued at the hip, and they did everything together.  
  
That night -the one that would be the pivotal event of their lives- Usagi was staying over at Naru's house. There was nothing unusual about that, for they had done so many times in their fourteen years of life. No, what made this night so unusual was that it was to be the last night of Naru's life.  
  
Usagi stood looking out the glass balcony doors in Naru's bedroom staring up at the full moon. She sighed. The two of them had filled the night with their usual antics; in fact, they still had to clean up the feathers from their pillow fight. But the night had started to wind down, and now Naru sat reading one of Usagi's romance novels, and the moon had captured Usagi's imagination. For some reason she could feel it calling out to her, delivering a summons her soul couldn't ignore.  
  
Naru's attention to the novel wasn't complete, which wasn't like her. Usagi, while not an observant person, could always tell when something was wrong with her friend. Something was troubling Naru. "Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice soft.  
  
"Why would you think that?" Naru wanted to know.  
  
"The fact that you've been staring at the same page for the last five minutes is a dead giveaway."  
  
Naru gave her friend a sheepish grin. "Was I that obvious?"  
  
Usagi returned it. "Well, yes. So what is it?"  
  
The redheaded girl sighed and allowed her gaze to wander. "I... I'm not completely sure. I have a... feeling. A feeling that something's going to happen tonight." She laughed a bit. "Does that make any sense?"  
  
Usagi tilted her head to the side and really looked at this girl she called her best friend. She noted the wavy auburn hair that fell just past her ears that she remembered teasing the first time they met. She took in the pale white skin and freckles that she had always been secretly jealous of. She observed the lithe, graceful build she only hoped she could someday compare to. The blue-green eyes that changed with her mood caught the moonlight and drew the blonde's gaze last of all. All these things were burned into her memory for the days to come. "I think so," she finally replied quietly.  
  
Naru laughed and dropped the book, leaning over to hug her friend. "I love you, Usagi-chan. It's odd that I'm in such a weird mood- it'll pass. But I just want you to know that."  
  
Usagi smiled back, unaware of how the smile transformed her from being merely pretty to being beautiful. "I love you, too, Naru-chan."  
  
Afterwards, she would be glad for Naru's fey mood... but it took years for that to happen.  
  
At that moment in time, the declaration seemed to free them from the melancholy mood that had trapped the two normally lively girls in its web. Usagi gave her friend one last wink and turned back to the night sky. Naru gave a giggle and actually began to read her book.  
  
A half hour later, Usagi was playing with a small handful of feathers as Naru struggled to finish just one more chapter. "Come on, Naru-chan, I'm tired! Let's go to sleep!"  
  
The redhead looked up from the paperback with half-lidded eyes. "You don't need me to do that. Go ahead. I won't be far behind. Just have to finish this chapter."  
  
"Naru-chaaaaaannnnnn," Usagi whined, "you're being a stick in the mud!"  
  
"I'm not the one who wants to go to bed!" Naru retorted quickly, her eyes shining with merriment.  
  
Usagi grabbed her pillow and was about to launch it at the redhead when they both heard a loud CRASH come from downstairs. They froze, expressions fearful. "What is that?" Usagi whispered. "I thought your mother was away for the evening."  
  
"She is," Naru said. "That came from the shop."  
  
"What do we do?" Usagi whimpered.  
  
Naru, though, had no doubts. "You use the phone to call the police. I'll go see if I can scare the intruder off," she informed the blonde as she grabbed a soft bat from the corner of the room.   
  
"But..." Usagi's voice trailed off as Naru disappeared from sight. She sighed and picked up the phone, quickly dialing in hopes that the police would arrive before Naru would have to do anything dangerous.  
  
It was a short call. Usagi gave the lady all the answers she had asked for and was told curtly that the authorities would be there soon and to do nothing until then. The young girl was quite willing to follow directions, but what about Naru...  
  
The house was eerily silent, and Usagi strained her ears to listen for any sign of movement. Normally she would hightail it for safety, but she couldn't abandon Naru. Biting her lip, she wavered on what to do.  
  
The loud CRASH and muffled scream decided her. Without thinking of her own safety, she raced down the stairs that connected the apartment to the shop. What met her eyes was a sight out of one of her worst nightmares.  
  
Naru was pinned to the wall by some sort of creature that looked like it had arisen from Hell itself. Her face was turning blue as the creature hissed at her, "Now tell me where the ginzuishou is, girl, and I MIGHT be persuaded to let you live!"  
  
"Naru!" Usagi cried before she thought. "Leave her alone!"  
  
The creature turned sharply and brought the still-choking girl to its chest. "Perhaps *you* will be more talkative. Tell me where the ginzuishou is!"  
  
Usagi swallowed forcefully as she put every effort into controlling her panic. "I don't even know what that is! Please let Naru-chan go! You're hurting her!"  
  
An evil smile made the thing even more hideous. "Why don't I believe you, little girl? Now, no more games. Tell me where the ginzuishou is or 'Naru-chan' becomes as lifeless as the rest of the useless rocks around here!"  
  
"No!" the blonde girl screamed. "If I knew where it was I would tell you! I swear it! I'm telling you the truth! So please let Naru-chan go! Please!" Tears streamed down her cheeks unnoticed.  
  
The next few moments played out as though in slow motion. Naru locked gazes with Usagi for a brief moment, later reflection revealing a look of utter calm, belief, and acceptance. Usagi dove forward, hoping beyond hope she could reach the pair and do something to free her friend. The fiend's red eyes flashed in anger and contempt, and it snarled as its muscles tightened. The thin arm wrapped around Naru's neck twisted sharply, and the resulting crack echoed through the vaults of Usagi's mind if nowhere else. Lastly, the full moon's light broke through the dark clouds that had covered it, and spilled onto the scene, illuminating everything with a supernatural glow. Then, and only then, did time seem to return to its normal pace, and Usagi was left standing there in complete shock and horror.  
  
The monster threw Naru's now lifeless body aside like it was a broken doll, and took two steps towards her.   
  
Something in Usagi snapped.  
  
She stared upwards and whimpered. "It can't end like this. Someone... hear me! I need power... someone get rid of this monster..."  
  
The moonlight wrapped around her, and she felt it embrace her. Words spilled from her lips, "Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" she called, raising a hand towards the ceiling.  
  
The Moonlight seemed to coalesce at her chest, and she felt a sense of serenity overwhelm her being. Looking down, she noticed a golden locket etched with arcane symbols perched proudly between her small breasts. She touched it with with her other hands, and ribbons exploded, ribbons made of light and... love.  
  
Boots, tiara, skirt, gloves, bows... one by one they appeared as she levitated a few inches off the floor. Finally her transformation was complete, and she locked eyes with the monster that had just slain her closest friend.  
  
She felt the power coursing through her veins, followed by a wave of anger for what this... *thing* had done. She would never remember exactly where the words and knowledge of what to do came from, but she was working on pure instinct at this point.  
  
Her gloved right hand rose to her forehead, and she took the jewel in the point of her tiara between her thumb and forefinger. A bright glow started to emanate from the contact. The newly-born superhero drew the now-glowing disc away from her face and down to her left side. The next thing she knew she was yelling out the words "Moon Tiara Action!" and throwing the disc at the monster like a Frisbee.  
  
The demon, which had been frozen in shock at the unexpected turn of events, watched with mounting horror as the glowing attack sped toward it and made contact. It screamed, a horrible, soul-wrenching sound, and in a blinding flash of light became a pile of dust. A wind came from out of nowhere and dispersed the evil substance.  
  
Usagi didn't bother to think about what had happened, as the light vanished with her new outfit. She raced over to her closest friend and cradled her close to her chest, tears erupting from her eyes.  
  
"Naru-chan... why did this happen?" she whispered, brushing strands of auburn hair that hung lankly across Naru's forehead. Naru looked so calm and peaceful, almost as if she was asleep.  
  
But Usagi knew this was a sleep she would never awaken from.  
  
The blonde's head fell to her friend's chest and she began to cry deep, heartrending sobs as she rocked forward and back. This was how the police found her fifteen minutes later.  
  
It proved impossible to pry the dead girl's body from her friend's arms, and they had the added stress of Naru's hysterical mother alternating from trying to shake her daughter awake to destroying what was left of her store. Eventually, it came down to sedating the distraught woman, and Usagi was finally convinced to let Naru go.  
  
Usagi watched as the stretcher carried away her friend, shedding tears the whole time. She clutched her fingers to her heart and was surprised to find the broach that had led to her unusual transformation still there.  
  
Why hadn't she discovered her powers a minute earlier? Why hadn't she been able to save her friend?   
  
Her tears stopped as she clutched the ornate piece of jewelry. This should not have happened. She wouldn't let it happen again.  
  
END PROLOGUE 


	2. Chapter One: I am Sailor Moon

Chapter One: I am Sailor Moon  
  
Outside there was darkness, but within the girl a light was burning brighter then the light of any sun; fury, anger and the desire that this never happen to anyone again.  
  
Usagi fell to her knees beside the gravestone. Reaching out, she traced the kanji that formed Naru's name, birthday, and date of death. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes, tears that she wiped away with an angry hand. She had cried so often in past about petty things that she refused to cheapen her memory of Naru by weeping now. Crying was a useless activity anyway.  
  
She touched the tombstone one last time in farewell, then rose to her feet that was out of charecter for her. Clenching her tiny fist, she made a mental vow to her departed friend that no one else would die because some hideous creature from realms unknown. She remembered the rush of power she had felt as she destroyed the monster. Surely there must be some way to access that power again.  
  
The blonde girl sighed. This anger was so alien to her. But nothing she did made it go away. For now, all she could do was hope she could draw on the power and protect everyone else. With that thought, the rage that flowed through her veins shifted slightly to a deep sense of justice. It was a fact that she wouldn't realize for some time.  
  
Her sapphire gaze traveled over the other tombstones in the graveyard, wondering if there were others that were there because no one had been there to save them from the same kind of horror that had taken Naru away. Usagi shook her head violently. She couldn't think like that. It would just lead her in a downward spiral and make her useless to someone who could still be saved. With that thought, she turned sharply and strode purposely away from the gloomy place. She would figure out how to access the power again. She had to.  
  
Her mind was so caught up in thought that she didn't realize where her small feet were leading her- or who they were leading her towards. It may have been fate or destiny, or just plain bad luck.  
  
A man turned around a corner, slamming into her. The pair went sprawling to the ground.   
  
"What do you think you're doing, you idiot!" she snapped angrily, most uncharacteristically.  
  
The man adjusted his sunglasses, which had been knocked askew by his tumble. "I should be asking you that! Don't you know to watch where you're going?"  
  
"Oh? And I suppose *you* were?" Usagi jumped to her feet and finally looked at the person she was snapping at. Her breath caught and the next retort died on her lips. He was tall, with short ebony black hair. His lean, muscular build was tense as he fought to control his irritation at this unexpected confrontation. In short, he was gorgeous!  
  
The blonde young lady quickly shook that observation off. "Don't get all high and mighty on me, buddy! You got in my way as much as I got in yours!"  
  
The ebony-haired young man scowled. "It's kind of hard to see around a corner. Which goes to prove why you should have been watching where you were going!"  
  
He let his eyes wander over the form of the petite girl standing with clenched fists in front of him. He was surprised that she had continued the fight, after she had so obviously paused to really look at him. He had become accustomed to girls seeing him and trying to flirt with him, gain his approval. He found this reaction to be a breath of fresh air. But that did nothing to appease the complete irritation the audacity of this golden haired . . . beauty . . . with her sapphire blue eyes . . . he shook his head. This girl's attitude was inexucable! "Look, Odango Atama, just watch where you're going from now . . . and your mouth! It'll get you in trouble one of these days!"  
  
A week ago, that would have sent Usagi into a fit of tears or speechless rage. But it wasn't a week ago.   
  
Later she would admit that he had been a convient outlet for her bottled-up helplessness and rage, but at that moment, all she saw was red. Red for anger, red for blood. Her delicately-boned hand reached out and decked him across the face, the sharp CRACK! echoing in an eerie parody of the crack which had changed Usagi's life. "You bastard!" she hissed angrily, her eyes glowing with an unhealthy light. "You have no right to say such a thing to me!"  
  
The young man was rendered speechless by the unexpected action. He merely stared at her through the dark lenses as she glared at him for a few moments more, then stepped around his still form and walked angrily down the street. He watched her go, his own anger beginning to boil.  
  
'How dare she?' he thought fiercely. 'How dare she overreact to some verbal sparring like that?! I mean, she hit me!' His hand unconsciously went to his reddened cheek, even as a part of him admitted to probably deserving the blow. It's not like he couldn't have let the matter go. But something about her called out to him, demanded a response. And respond he did. He shook his head at the strange encounter and continued along his interrupted journey toward his destination.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi looked at the flowers that sat on the desk where Naru had sat. The lilies were slightly wilted, and she made a mental note to get some roses or something to replace them. Naru had always liked roses.  
  
Around her, her classmates drew slightly away, as though she was contagious. She hadn't had anything to do with Naru's death, the police had decided, but it would take more then that to convince other people that she wasn't a jinx. After all, how had she survived someone who could break someone's neck like a twig?  
  
Usagi glanced around the room and took in the prevailing attitude from her classmates. She sighed and almost immediately lost herself in her inner world. Roses. Naru liked roses. She would get her friend roses, and nothing but, every time she visited her resting place.  
  
For some reason, the thought of roses made her think of the ebony-haired young man she had run into the other day. Had he smelled like roses? She couldn't remember. But somehow the thought of roses and that guy fit like two pieces of a puzzle. She quickly dismissed those thoughts. The bastard was not going to take up any more of her thoughts and time.  
  
"Tsukino-san!"  
  
She blinked, suddenly aware that the sensei had been trying to attract her attention. "Hai?" she said, startled.  
  
Rokutanda-sensei hid a sigh. Tsukino Usagi had never been among the best of his students, but since her friend had died, her grades had plummeted to the basement. He was starting to wonder if there was any hope of her salvaging the school year. It was try that the Osaka girl's death was tragic, and that Tsukino was probably tramatized, but the girl was making no effort to get beyond it.  
  
"You haven't been paying attention at all, have you Tsukino-san?" the frustrated teacher said exasperatedly.  
  
"Gomen," Usagi said contritely, dropping her gaze to her desk. "I..."  
  
"I know the loss of your friend has been hard on you, but do you really think she would have wanted you to shut yourself off like this?" the tall brunette man said sympathetically. "Everyone knows you're in danger of failing completely this year, and I don't think Osaka-san would have wanted that. For her, try to keep going, keep trying. You have a lot of potential, and it shouldn't go to waste."  
  
He blinked once, wondering exactly when the sky had fallen. He hadn't really expected her to listen to him, but from the bright gleam in her eyes, he wouldn't be surprised if she pulled out an A on the next exam.   
  
Rokutanda wondered exactly why he felt sad seeing Tsukino Usagi turn her complete attention to him.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I'm going out for a walk, mother!" Usagi called over her shoulder as she stepped out into the twilight.  
  
"Are you sure you should, dear?" Ikoku asked, feeling concerned. She hated letting Usagi wandered off during the evening by herself, especially since Naru had... died. The girl, though, refused to stay inside, insisting that as long as she kept her 10 o'clock curfew, there really was no problem.   
  
"I'll be fine!" Usagi assured her, then disappeared into the shadows. Ikoku shuddered as she watched her eldest child go. There was something almost macabre about the way the darkness embraced the girl.  
  
Usagi made her way in a roundabout fashion to the downtown shopping district. She was surprised to see the place still filled with people, until she remembered the amount of dance clubs and late night restaurants that were in the area. She didn't know what had drawn her here; normally she would have opted for a quiet stroll in the park, but something inside her told her this would be a better place to be.  
  
The petite blonde had just passed by the long strip mall she and Naru had usually gone for one of their shopping marathons, when screams from behind her made her stop dead in her tracks. She whirled around quickly and gasped at the sight before her. A large, green creature, similar to the demon that had killed Naru still too recently in the past to think about, was randomly grabbing the late night party-goers, doing something to them that caused them to be outlined in a bright white glow for a brief moment, and tossing them aside like limp rag dolls when it was through.  
  
"No," Usagi whispered, the horrifying memories of Naru's last night replaying before her mind's eye. "No, not again. Never again. Never again!"  
  
Her last words came out in a hoarse shout, and she moved forward slightly to where a beam of moonlight had managed to make its way down from the heavens. The girl's fists clenched as she wished with all her might that she could find that mysterious power that had come to her the night at the OSA*P, this time before anyone died.  
  
: Suddenly a glitter at the point of the V-neck collar of her thin sweater caught her attention. She watched in wonder as the moonlight struck the white brooch with a golden crescent moon and four different colored gems evenly spaced on the edge she had recieved the night Naru had died. And she knew what to do. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"  
  
It was different this time, but that was to be expected. This time she was prepared for the otherwordliness that assaulted her senses, prepared for the boost in energy. She felt immortal; she became a Goddess and a soldier, all combined in a beautiful, yet deadly package. The improbable Sailor Suit traced the curves of her body, which became slightly more pronounced. Tossing her head back, she grinned as she focused on the monster.  
  
At the moment, its hand (which only had four fingers instead of the standard five) was wrapped around the throat of a girl who was wearing heavy cosmetics. The people who were sober enough to run were doing so, but no one was helping the girl. That was about to change. With the girl as a shield, Usagi couldn't get a clear shot, so it was time to improvise.  
  
She went to the nearest car and yanked off its front fender with hardly any effort. Normally such wantom destruction with have bothered her, but she figured the owner would understand, if anyone ever bothered to explain to him.   
  
She heard a man start yelling in surprise behind her, "How the hell did a little thing like you do that?" he demanded.  
  
"Adrenaline," she said sarcastically. "Now get the hell out of here, you imbecile. That creature isn't serving cake and cookies to the elderly."  
  
The man gawked at her as she raced towards the monster. "BATTER UP!" she yelled, then swung with her magically enhanced speed and strength. Her aim was true and she hit the monster over the head, dazing it just enough so that it let go of the girl whom it had been attacking.  
  
As the monster reeled and tried to regain its composure, the girl lay at its feet sobbing, one hand to her throat. "You should get out of here now," Usagi whispered urgently. "This thing's not going to be out of commission long."  
  
The girl merely kept crying.  
  
"Look, I did not just tear up a car and start going one on one with a deadly green youma because I was bored! Move it! Or do you really want to die?"  
  
The girl with the pancake make-up looked at her startled at the harsh tone. "I don't want to die," she whispered in a scratchy alto.  
  
"Then run, you moron!" She swung the fender almost absently, knocking the monster upside the head once again just as it was about to claw at her.  
  
The girl just nodded and scrambled away. Usagi released a frustrated breath of relief and turned to face the monster. "All right, dirt bag. It's now time to learn lesson number one: I don't like you." She hit the thing again with the large piece of metal. "Lesson two: I don't like the way you were hurting people." Clang! "Lesson three: I'm not going to just sit back and let it happen." Crunch! "Lesson four: And there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Slam!  
  
As the fender connected for the last time, Usagi realized what she need to do to eliminate this threat once and for all. She tossed the twisted piece of automobile aside and stepped back. Her right hand rose and she gripped her tiara between her forefinger and thumb. The piece of jewelry turned into a glowing discus as the blonde pulled it from her forehead, and she brought it back in preparation to throw. "Moon Tiara Action!" she cried as she released it like a frisbee.  
  
The monster had watched woozily as this unexpected attacker had backed away. Now it could only watch wide-eyed and entranced as the glowing discus flew toward it and impacted. The next moment there was only a pile of dust where the green thing had stood. Usagi watched as the pile dissapated in a non-existant breeze with grim satisfaction. "For Naru," she whispered. "Never again." And she turned and ran off.  
  
From out of the shadows, a man stepped, his eyes tracking where the girl had stood. A puzzled frown was on the man's face. "That's her?" he whispered, chutching his jacket around himself to ward off the cold teeth of the wind. "That's my rival?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day at school, Usagi was almost immediately besieged by Umino Gurio, the class gossip. He had been a friend of hers ever since she was younger, but they had grown apart when Umino fell in love with her. "Usagi-chan, did you see last night's newspaper?" He waved the afore mentioned document in her face.  
  
"No, Umino. You know I'm not interested in the news," she said, stifling a yawn beneath her hand. She hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before, and was tempted to go to the nurse's office to get an extra hour or two of much-needed rest.  
  
"Well, there's this new superhero! No one knows anything about her, except that she used magic to kill a monster that was draining people!"  
  
"You believe in magic?" Usagi said, trying for a disinterested tone. "Some fairytale."  
  
"No, see, here's a picture and everything! The police are asking the girl to come forward so she can be thanked!"  
  
Usagi tooked the newspaper away from him. There, on the front page, was a grainy picture of her assaulting the monster with her tiara. Across the top the headline blazed, "Superheroine Saves Day!"  
  
She sniffed derisively. "Some superhero. Where was she when Naru needed help?"  
  
"Aw, come on, Usagi," Umino said, giving the blonde an odd look after hearing the bitter tone out of the normally cheerful girl. "If she could have been there and done something, she would have. I mean, it's obvious she's not going to take any crap from anyone! I heard a rumor that she beat the monster up with a car fender before finishing it off with her magic." The young man had leaned in conspiratorily close as he finished his tale.  
  
Usagi pushed him away. "That's nice. That doesn't change the fact that this 'superhero' wasn't where she needed to be in time to save Naru." Even as she said it, a small part in the back of her mind accepted his words as truth, contrary to the guilt and self-loathing the rest of her brain was plaguing her with. "And don't stand so close," she added absently.  
  
"Right." Umino stepped back to his normal distance. "But I still think it would be really neat to see her in action, or even meet her in person! I mean, a real superhero!"  
  
"You twit!" Usagi cried, smacking him upside the head. "Don't you get it? To see her up close and personal in action, you'd have to be in mortal danger. Do you really want to die - or at the very least get hurt - that badly?"  
  
"Well, no, but she'd be there to save me, like superheroes do."  
  
"Tell that to Naru." With that the petite blonde turned sharply on her heels and walked away.  
  
Unimo watched her leave, wishing he'd never brought the subject up. Usagi had always been imterested in stuff like superheroes and magic, before. He had thought that getting her interested in the latest would help jerk her out of her bitterness, but if anything, he seemed to have made matters worse. Naru had been his friend as well, and he missed her, but it was time for Usagi to learn that life went on.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She stood in a tree, watching as the monster came towards her. It was late afternoon, and there were children in the park; obviously the monster was targeting them. She tugged on her short skirt, wishing the magical outfit didn't look so ridiculous. It was hard to inspire fear when you half-afraid the enemy would yell "panty shot!" at you.  
  
She jumped, landing on her feet slightly awkwardly. She had always been a bit of a klutz, but there was no way she was going to let that get in her way. Usagi's eyes narrowed. Right now she had a clear shot. Should she take it? Or should she blow of some steam by beating the monster into a pulp first?  
  
It was the little girl that cinched it. There, directly in the path of the ugly beast, was a small child, her light brown ponytails fluttering in the wind, her huge dark blue eyes filled with tears. The monster seemed to notice her the same time Usagi did, and started to move in that direction at a frightening speed.  
  
"Moon Tiara Action!" she cried desperately, tossing the glowing disc with all her might. She watched as it curved toward its target, a smile beginning to form on her features as she waited for the same result her last toss had produced.  
  
Thus it was that her jaw dropped completely when with one quick burst of speed and a dodge of its head, the youma managed to get out of the deadly disc's path and closer to the child. With a burst of anger, she found she had more control over her weapon than she originally thought and began to direct it back toward the monster's far side. But she quickly realized that it wasn't going to make it in time.  
  
Just as her heart despaired at having to watch someone else fall to these otherworldly creatures, a flash of red streaked through the air, culminating in the form of a red rose imbedded in the earth at the monster's feet. "How dare you threaten the life of an innocent child?" an angry male voice called from above the combatants. "Only the basest of creatures would stoop so low. I, Tuxedo Kamen, will not forgive you!"  
  
Usagi looked up to the tree branch the voice had come from. Standing there in a dramatic pose was a tall man, sharply dressed in a perfectly talored tuxedo and top hat, a black cape with a deep red lining fluttering in the breeze and a white domino mask hiding his eyes, and thus his true identity. His head cocked briefly in her direction before he dove down and scooped up the girl just before the youma recovered from the shock. The blonde hero blinked. "What's with the fancy speeches and the posing, Tux-boy?" she called out as she began to pull back her tiara once again.  
  
"It's more than you were doing... um, I don't believe I've caught your name quite yet."  
  
Usagi bristled at the sarcasm in the man's tone. Then she realized she hadn't thought of a name for herself yet. She glanced quickly down at her outfit and brooch and it came to her. "I am Sailor Moon, fighter for justice - not that I feel the need to tell everyone in some cheesy, long-winded speech. You should remember that." With on last flick of her wrist, the glowing tiara rushed back, slicing the monster across the left shoulder.  
  
This time it was Tuxedo Kamen's turn to bristle. "Yeah, well, let's just remember who saved the girl here, shall we?" he said as he continued to jump and flip out of the way of the bursts of dark energy coming from the demon.  
  
"She's not saved yet!"  
  
"Well, then, by all means, feel free to fix that, Sailor Moon!"  
  
"Fine! I will!" She once again charged up her weapon. "Moon Tiara Action!"  
  
This time her aim was true, and another demon disintegrated into a pile of dust. Usagi walked triumphantly over to where the thing had stood and crossed her arms over her chest. "You were saying?"  
  
Tuxedo Kamen walked out slowly after putting the little girl down and watching her run into her mother's waiting arms, wistfulness briefly flashing over his features. Usagi pretended not to notice. "Look, Sailor Moon, if you're going to fight these things, do it. Just don't get in my way."  
  
"You don't get in mine," the blonde hero retorted. "That way we'll both be happier." They both nodded, but not before they both realized deep inside just how much of a lie that last statement was.  
  
Neither of them noticed the photographer hiding in the bushes, who had overheard the entire conversation. The sound of the shutter snapping rapidly was overwhelmed by the noise from the crowd that was gathering. The superheroes leapt away, moving at supernatural speeds.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day, the school was buzzing. "He's SOOOO handsome!" a girl said as Usagi was passing by. Her curiousity ignited, she turned around to listen to what they were saying.  
  
A girl was standing in the middle of a crowd, waving dramatically as she spoke. "I was at the park with my little sister, at the right place at the right time! Well, a monster was coming at Makoto -that's my sister's best friend- when that superhero from the day before showed up. She threw some magic, but it ducked, and then HE showed up!"  
  
The crowd squealed. "TELL!" a girl with green hair demanded, pulling on the talebearer's sleeve.  
  
"Well, he said something to distract the monster, and then he saved the little girl! It was so heroic!"  
  
Usagi snorted. Pity they didn't mention HER part in it. She was just about to head onto class when the girl continued, "And then the girl finished the monster off! WHAM! Bunch of dust.   
  
"They started to talk, and she said her name was Sailor Moon. I think it's kinda stupid for a superhero- I mean, don't they usually end in "girl" or "woman"? Tuxedo Kamen isn't much better, but at least he has STYLE. He threw a rose and made the most wonderful speech- Sailor Moon just attacked. Then afterwards, she started to argue with him!"  
  
"They ARGUED?" a boy exclaimed.  
  
"Aren't superheroes usually friends?" another girl chimed in, nibbling thoughtfully on her lips.  
  
"Nope, they were arguing. Telling the other to stay out of their way."  
  
"That's not the way it works," the boy complained. "Sailor Moon should be Tuxedo Mask's sidekick!"  
  
Usagi stalked off at that to keep from attacking the boy. What did HE know, anyway?  
  
Once she was alone however, some the othe things that were said echoed in her mind. First off, she needed some class. She sighed. Okay, she thought, cheesy speeches it is. But I reserve the right to just tell the monsters off if that seems like the better option.  
  
Now that that was settled, another point stuck in her jaw. The arguments. If this guy was actually going to be showing up in the middle of her fights on a regular basis, she was going to have to deal with it. So, as much as he had annoyed her, she would do her best to be civil. He *was* trying to help people and fight against the monsters.  
  
Once she came to these conclusions she smiled proudly. 'That should get me some decent respect around here,' she thought smugly. "And then maybe I won't have to hear any more about being his *sidekick*.'   
  
She shuddered and entered her homeroom.  
  
END PART ONE 


	3. Chapter Two: You Oughta be In Pictures

EMSiT Productions Presents:  
To Stand Alone  
by: Una Moonstar and Quicksilver  
standard disclaimers  
AN: Happy EMSiT Day, from two of the worst! I haven't heard from Una in a while- normally SHE'D be the one sending out this monstrosity, but... well, it's a good thing we had this ready. FB is a very nice thing!  
  
  
Chapter Two: You Oughta Be in Pictures  
  
"A TV series?" she found herself echoing a week later, wondering exactly what the hell had happened to her life.  
  
Every evening she'd been out late, killing monsters. She'd run into Tuxedo Kamen only once, for which she had been grateful. They had exchanged chill greetings, and she'd killed the monster quickly to get out of there.  
  
Umino stood in front of her, waving the latest newsmagazine. She had grown used to appearing on the front page of the newspapers, but the weekly periodical was a different story. One of the grainy shots of her was now plastered all over Japan, and Umino had informed her of the websites devoted to Sailor Moon. After the first incident, she'd made a point to cultivate him for information; if there was anything worth knowing, he would find it out. "Yes! Ginga TV has bought the rights to a script based on Sailor Moon. They're calling it Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, and the try-outs are open! You should go- you're blond, and they need a blonde."  
  
"You're kidding, right?" she asked sceptically. "I don't know the first thing about acting!"  
  
"It'd be fun to try," he wheedled.  
  
She shook her head. "No, I can't," she said firmly. I have other things that occupy my time, she thought.  
  
Umino let out a frustrated breath. "Usagi-chan, I miss Naru-chan too, but you've changed because of this. I miss the old Usagi. What would it hurt to just try out? The worst they could do is tell you no. And maybe, just maybe, you could find a part of you that you seem to have buried with Naru." His gaze dropped and he sighed. Usagi just looked at him, shocked. "I have to be going now, Usagi-chan. Maybe I'll talk to you later." He turned and walked away, never making eye contact after his speech.  
  
The blonde watched him go, tears nearly building up at the show of concern. She quickly blinked the threat away, and smiled slightly. "Thank you for caring, Umino. It's for people like you that I fight. So that none of you have to end up like Naru." The grin turned wry. "Although you have the strangest ideas sometimes. I mean, me? An actress?" She shook her head as the quiet words meant for her ears only trailed off. "The boy is too much."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Why am I here again?" Usagi asked herself for the zillionth time as she waited in a large reception area with about fifteen other girls of varying heights, builds, and hair colors. The receptionist behind the desk next to the door never took her eyes off her computer screen, and Usagi thought she recognized the woman from one of the youma attacks over the last couple of nights. "This whole Sailor Moon TV show must be bothering her if she won't even look at the candidates for the lead role."  
  
Her attention was caught by the opening of the door opposite the one she had entered the room through. A tall man with wire-rimmed glasses and wearing a dark grey business suit stepped out holding a clipboard. "Tsukino Usagi?"  
  
The petite blonde blinked a few times at the mention of her name, ignoring the jealous looks she got from the other girls there. "Yes, that would be me," she responded.  
  
The man gave her a distant smile. "If you'd join us, it's time for your audition." He gestured toward the room behind him.  
  
Usagi gulped as she stood, surprised to feel nervous butterflies in her stomach, and even more shocked to feel the excitement building with each step she took to follow. She had thought she was beyond the old dreams of stardom. 'I guess not,' she thought with a mental shrug, unknowingly letting her face crease into a smile as the office door closed behind her.  
  
A committee of five people sat at a simple table, facing her. One was a woman, one was a thirty-ish man, and two others were men in their fifties, wearing stodgy suits. She blinked in shock as she recognized the fifth.  
  
Fujisawa Yuusuke.  
  
The young heart-throb, currently featured of the cover of HIP magazine, flashed her a stunning smile. His blue eyes twinkled and he raked a hand through his shoulder-length hair. She tried very hard not to stare, but he was simply one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever seen.  
  
The woman noted her distraction. "Hello, Tsukino-san. I'm Aino Asuka. These are Liang Wen, Justin Brockport, Sukiyama Tooya, and I'm sure you recognize Fujisawa Yuusuke." Each person nodded at their name, and she bowed to them politely.  
  
"It's nice to meet you," she said, wondering what she had gotten into.  
  
"Now, Brockport-san and Liang-san are our producers, I'm casting director, and Fujisawa-san will be playing the role of Tuxedo Kamen. Sukiyama-san is our director. He wants to find some fresh talent for the role of Sailor Moon. According to your resume, you only have experience in high school plays, so you certainly qualify. I'll be honest; we wouldn't have focused on you so early if you weren't a blonde. You have the right look; now we need to see your acting abilities."  
  
The girl was then handed a short stack of papers. "Look those over for a few minutes. Then we'll have you do a run through of the scene with Fujisawa-san. Will that work?"  
  
Usagi gulped one more time and nodded, her sapphire blues dropping to the typed words she held. Her eyes widened in shock as she read what they actually said. She took a deep breath to tell them they were all wrong about who Sailor Moon really was, but stopped when she realized she should have no knowledge of such a thing. She bit the inside of her cheek in frustration. Finally she said she was ready, and the popular actor joined her in front of the table.   
  
They quickly made their way through the short scene, and Usagi looked at the older people to see how she had done. Their expressions were slightly disapproving, and the little spark that had been building since her name had been called began to flicker and fade. "Did... did I do something wrong?" she asked a bit meekly.  
  
"Well," the director said thoughtfully, "I think you portrayed Sailor Moon a bit harshly. She shouldn't be so... brash."  
  
The blonde girl blinked. "She was talking to the youma."  
  
"Yes, I understand that, but she's not supposed to be quite that abrasive about it. Sailor Moon is the soldier of love and justice! She's supposed to be firm but fun!"  
  
Usagi raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Firm but fun? You have *got* to be kidding me! That's not the way Sailor Moon really is!"  
  
"Well, we know that, Tsukino-san," Aino Asuka said with a touch of a condescending tone. "But our writers needed to make her more... acceptable to the television audience."  
  
The girl's jaw dropped. "Acceptable? What's wrong with the way she is? I don't seem to hear people complaining about her attitude when she's out there risking her butt saving their lives!"  
  
"Tsukino-san, please..." the younger heartthrob beside her said placatingly.  
  
"No!" Usagi cried, cutting him off. "This isn't fair! It isn't right! This hero goes out every night to help the people of this city, of this *planet* - at high risk to her own life, mind you - and you feel the need to mess with her personality? How twisted is that?"  
  
"Obviously, Tsukino-san, if you truly think that way, we're going to have to look in another direction for our Sailor Moon," Liang Wen said coldly, raising an eyebrow at the girl's outburst.  
  
Sukiyama made hushing motions. "Wait a second. I really like how she looks- she looks like my ideal for Sailor Moon. Tsukino-san, can you read another scene with Fujisawa-san?"  
  
Usagi blinked. Hadn't she already blown her chances? Against her better judgement, she took a second pile that was handed to her, and started to peruse them. After a second her eyebrows started to rise. By the end, they had practically disappeared into her forehead. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" she said incredulously.  
  
"Sailor Moon has a crush on him."  
  
"She most certainly does not!" Usagi exclaimed. "All reports indicate that the two can't stand each other!"  
  
"Well, she needs a romantic interest, and he's the natural choice."  
  
Usagi's brows drew down into a frown. "And what's this about her being rescued by him? Her powers are stronger!"  
  
"Well, he's her Knight, sworn to her service. All girls would love to be rescued by him. Are you going to read or not?" Aino wanted to know.  
  
She nodded reluctantly. "What do I do!" she said, putting on a panicked expression.  
  
"Use your Tiara, Sailor Moon!" Fujisawa said  
  
"Um, ok!" She balanced on her toes and did an elaborate twirl that practically defied the laws of gravity before miming throwing it. "Moon.... Tiara.... MAGIC!"  
  
"Moondusted!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down like a ditzy cheerleader.  
  
The adults in the room blinked for a few moments after Usagi stopped her jumping and allowed her expression to settle back into the slightly skeptical look she had started the scene with. "Something tells me your heart isn't in this, Tsukino-san," Asuka said quietly.  
  
"Oh, I don't know," the director said thoughtfully. "I think she did a fine job. I could work with her."  
  
"I'm sorry to say I don't agree with you, Sukiyama-san," Liang said firmly. "Tsukino-san is allowing her beliefs about the character to taint her portrayal. I'm not sure we can work around that."  
  
"I'm afraid I have to agree," Brockport said, the first words he had spoken since the girl had stepped into the room. "And we already know that the real thing is too harsh for our target audience." The look on his face said he had finished that thought for Usagi's benefit.  
  
"I will say the girl has potential," Asuka said quickly, cutting off the impending argument from the flustered director. "I think it's a little raw for our needs at this time though."  
  
"I'll tell you what's raw," Usagi growled. "My nerves. I can't believe you people have no integrity whatsoever. This is not just a fun weekly romp for the entertainment of the masses. This is *real*, folks. People are really in danger, and people can die. People already have. I, for one don't blame Sailor Moon for being a bit brash with the monsters that threaten the innocents that get attacked on practically a nightly basis. Why should they get any slack? And just because a handsome guy is in the picture does not mean that he automatically has to be the love interest of 'our plucky heroine' contrary to popular opinion. She doesn't even know him!" She paused to catch her breath, the others in the room still silently reeling from her outburst. "You know what? I don't think I want this role anyway. I guess I have too much respect for the truth. If you want to lie to the people, I don't want any part of it. Thanks anyway." With that, she spun around and walked quickly out of the room, the door slamming behind her.  
  
The remaining people just looked at each other. "Damn," Sukiyama said softly. "That's just the spirit we needed, and she just got away. I think I'm going to regret that one for the rest of my career." The rest of the group just looked at him strangely as he shook his head and stared at the closed door.  
  
"Um, if you'll excuse me I need a drink," Fujisawa said.  
  
The four adults watched as he left the room. "That's odd..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi practically stomped by the desk, for once causing the receptionist to look up. "Stupid script!" she swore.  
  
The other candidates looked at the fuming blonde in surprise. "I'm sure you didn't screw up that badly," a redhead said, obviously trying to reassure her.  
  
"I hope I did!" she declared. "Senshi of love and justice, my cute butt! Sailor Moon would chew nails if she saw what they were doing to her name!"  
  
The other candidates exchanged looks. "Um... well," the red head started again, but was interupted when the door opened and Fujisawa Yuusuke came in. He gave them his famous smile, the one that gave him a dimple in his right cheek, and hurried over to Usagi's side.  
  
"Tsukino-san, wait a minute!" the young man said quickly as the blonde reached for the handle of the door leading outside.  
  
Usagi paused and turned to face her reading partner. "Yes, Fugisawa-san? What can I do for you?" she asked coolly.  
  
He glanced around at the crowd of gawking girls. "Not here. Can I speak to you alone?"  
  
She shrugged. She figured she could take care of herself if she had to. "I suppose. Where?"  
  
"Come with me." The attractive man led her down the hall on the other side of the receptionist's desk to a small storage room. "You seem to know a lot about Sailor Moon, Tsukino-san. I was hoping you'd be willing to tell me about her so I can portray my character more realistically."  
  
Usagi blinked in the harsh light of the single incandescent lightbulb currently swinging slightly above them. "Um, I wouldn't be the person to ask about Tuxedo Kamen, Fujisawa-san. He is an enigma even to me."  
  
"Well, tell me what you do know. I'm sure it's more than what I've gotten out of the papers."  
  
Usagi took a deep breath and just looked at the anxious young star standing before her. She released it slowly before responding. "All I can say is that you need to try to keep a mysterious air around you. He's nothing if not mysterious. And he obviously carries a secret. Beyond that, I don't think I can tell you much. The script," here she rolled her eyes, "doesn't capture his ego or the rivalry there seems to be between him and Sailor Moon. But you might want to keep it in mind."  
  
Yuusuke just nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Thank you very much, Tsukino-san. You have given me a lot to think about, and much to work with. I am in your debt." He suddenly lifted his gaze and made eye contact with the young girl in the small space with him. "And I think Sukiyama-san was right. You would have made a wonderful Sailor Moon."  
  
Usagi smiled at the irony. "Uh, thanks. But I really couldn't have played her the way she was written. It just wasn't... right."  
  
Yuusuke nodded, giving her the smile that had girls all over Japan swooning. "You want to make her human, and I respect that. But...." he trailed off.  
  
"But?" she asked, curious in spite of herself.  
  
"I heard that she wasn't a conventional superhero. But something in me wants her to be."  
  
"What?! You want her to run around waiting for the dashing hero to save her?" Her good opinion of him vanished.  
  
He shook his head vehemently. "That's not what I meant at all! I meant... well, it'd be nice if she was one of those people out to do good, rather then one of those people out as an Avenger."  
  
Usagi tilted her head, one of her long ponytails almost touching th floor, not sure she understood him. "But.... I've heard of others. Ever heard of Batman?"  
  
"I don't like to think of our world as dark as Gotham City. I'd like to be able to look at a cute girl like her and see a superhero, not a vigilante."  
  
He looked down at the strange sorrowful girl who barely came up to his chest. Something about her drew Yuusuke closer, wanting to be embraced by her slender arms. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him, but Usagi seemed to have no intention of doing so. It was fascinating for him.  
  
"I know this is a touch out of place, but can I have your phone number?"  
  
She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering as she tried to find and answer. "I-"  
  
A scream cut her off.  
  
Her muscles all tensed, prepared for action. She looked at Yuusuke, wondering how she could get rid of him. "That wasn't part of the audition, was it?" she asked in a small voice.  
  
"No! Stay here while I check it out!"  
  
He took off at a run and she barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Typical male. Talks like a New Age guy, but when it comes down to it, there's testosterone poisoning. 'Me HE-Man, protect Little Woman.' Sheesh.  
  
She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching, then waved a hand in front of her broach. "MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE-UP!"  
  
The power washed over her like a tidal wave, shaking her to her core. She reveled briefly in the rush it gave her, then dashed out into the hall and saw a small group of people rushing toward her from the waiting room she had recently been ensconced in. "Figures," she muttered to herself as she began to run in that direction.  
  
She paused briefly as she reached the door, her hand resting on the knob. "Well, one good thing is going to come out of this - these TV people will get to know what the REAL Sailor Moon is like!"  
  
She threw open the door and gasped at the sight of all fifteen girls and the receptionist strewn about the room, obviously drained of energy. She heard screams and whimpers coming from where she had just come from her audition and hurried in.  
  
"I am the Champion of Justice, Sailor Moon! And on behalf of the Moon, I will punish you!" she declared proudly, stepping in boldly. "Ewwwwwww.... what IS that?!" she exclaimed with disgust. "That" appeared to be a woman-shaped creature made entirely of slime. Everywhere she moved, she left behind a mucus trail.  
  
'Well,' Sailor Moon thought grimly, 'I can see there won't be any hand to hand fighting with this one.' "Okay, slimeball, you've done enough damage to this place and these people today. I'm not going to let you do anymore! Moon..." Before she could call on her deadly weapon, a giant ball of the green goo came flying toward her. And so help her, all she could think of was she was going to be slimed by a humongous loogie.  
  
The slime turned out to be her savior. She tried to move to get out of the way, no matter how fruitless she thought it would be in the long run, when she stepped in the gunk and landed flat on her back. The glob missed her by inches and splattered on the wall behind her. "I meant to do that," she muttered as a blush crept onto her cheeks.  
  
"Uh-huh..." Came a semi-welcomed voice.  
  
"Oh man, not you," she groaned.  
  
"It's Tuxedo Kamen!" came a third voice.  
  
She turned her eyes to Tuxedo Kamn's latest fan. "Yuusuke-san!" she exclaimed in surprise.   
  
The young actor was in the corner of the room, pinned to the wall by a hardening lump of slime. His eyes were wide with disbelief and.... lust? Oh, man, she thought, the guy who just asked for my number, the heartthrob of thousands of teenyboppers, is gay. Won't THAT go down well with his fans?  
  
Glancing back at the recently arrived masked hero, Sailor Moon was guessing that his thoughts were on the same wavelength as hers, and she couldn't help but giggle slightly. Tuxedo Kamen looked down at her, confused, which set her off even more. The corners of his mouth began to follow suit, and soon both of the heroes of Tokyo were in the throws of a full blown giggle fit.  
  
The youma paused in its attacks, offended no one was paying it any attention. It roared... and no one noticed. It stomped one squishy foot... and no one cared. It pounded on the wall for a few minutes... and no one even flinched. What was a youma to do?  
  
Finally, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen started to calm down, and he extended a gloved hand to help her up. She took it, and with that one maneuver, a wary truce was born. They gave each other an appraising look and nodded. "Shall we, Sailor Moon?" the well-dressed hero asked politely, noticing the ball of slime that was their opponent sulking in a corner.  
  
The girl in the skimpy skirt grinned as she notinced the same thing. "Yes. Yes, we shall." She brought her hand up the the gem in her tiara. "Moon... Tiara... Action!"  
  
As the disc flew toward its target, roses struck each of the hardened globs of slime that held the production executives hostage, freeing them. The pouting monster was reduced to dust, quickly dispersing into the air.  
  
She glanced at Tuxedo Kamen. "Did you know that Yuusuke-san is supposed to play you in the upcoming TV series?" she asked.  
  
The masked man seemed taken aback. "Is he really?"  
  
"Yup! I think you should give him some pointers- you know, how to throw roses and be obnoxious." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. He stiffened and dropped her hand, braking their fragile truce.  
  
Her eyes widened, and her jaw clenched. "I'm..."  
  
Before she could finish her apology, he spun with a flourish and began to walk away, his cape cutting her off more so than his words. "Be more careful next time, Sailor Moon. Someone may not be there to help you up." He strode out the outer door and was gone.  
  
Sailor Moon sighed as she gazed after him. Boy, did she screw that one up. Hopefully she could at least say she was sorry the next time they ran into each other. Something inside her needed that truce, realizing that man was probably the only other person in the entire city, possibly the world, who knew what she was going through. Maybe not the part with Naru, but the rest...  
  
She turned to face the other people in the room, determined to have *something* good come out of this day. "So," she said wickedly, "where's the script?"  
  
Her grin caused the others to blanch and point. She snickered and went to the table they had gestured toward. "Now let's see," she declared expansively as she tore the cover page off the thick pad of typed paper. "You had to make a big thing out of her klutziness, didn't you? You couldn't let that one slide, could you? Noooooooo, heaven forbid!" she fumed after she had finished the first few pages.   
  
She slowly made eye contact with each and every one of them, quickly passing over Yuusuke with a shudder. His taste in love interests needed serious work- Tuxedo Kamen, of all people. "Shall I continue my critique of your portrayal of me?" She grinned the same wicked smile as before.  
  
"Um.... well, you see...." Aino stuttered, the only one able to keep their wits about them, "we had to make this suitable for a child."  
  
Sailor Moon nodded graciously. "Which I understand. But it's rather rude not to offer me any royalties...."  
  
They all paled. "Um, well..."  
  
"And REALLY! Do I look like the type to go gaga over a guy?"   
  
I used to be, before Naru died.... was the unwelcomed thought.  
  
"We really-" began the producer.  
  
She laughed and shook her head. "It's fine, though I think it'd be great if you'd donate some of the profits from the merchandise to charity.... say the Tokyo Hospital's Children's Fund?"  
  
"We can do that!" they said eagerly. "In return will you endorse Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon? In fact, the lead part is still open..."  
  
Sailor Moon blinked. "Um, I think I'd rather not *endorse* it, per se, but you won't hear any public complaining or anything. And I think I'm a bit busy to be playing myself twice over."  
  
The executives all smiled and nodded their heads in understanding. "Of course, of course. We understand," Aino said quickly.  
  
"That is, of course, as long as you hold up *your* part of the bargain. I find out you haven't, and all deals are off." She scowled seriously. "Don't think I'm above making your lives... difficult."  
  
She received shocked shakes of the head in agreement. "Good. Then it's settled. Just... try to give me some redeeming characteristics, would you? I'm bound to at the very least hear about this, and I don't want to die of embarrassment when people expect me to act a certain way."  
  
"Of course, Sailor Moon!" Aino said, happy to have the superhero's okay if not direct endorsement. "We were planning on that anyway!"  
  
Usagi just nodded. "Then I guess I'm done here. Have a good one!" She took off the same way Tuxedo Kamen had before her. The last thing she heard as she was shutting the outer door behind her was Yuusuke's: "Thank you for saving us, Sailor Moon." She smiled as a warm feeling washed over her. I guess this isn't a thankless job, after all, she thought as she ran off into the city.  
  
END PART TWO 


	4. Chapter Three: Man of Mystery

EMSiT Productions Presents:  
To Stand Alone  
by Una Moonstar and Quicksilver  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not ours. If it was, the skirts would be longer, and Usagi would kick ass a LOT faster.  
Credit goes to Remy for signing on as the editor- hope you all see the improvement!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter Three: Man of Mystery  
  
  
  
"So how did the audition go?" Umino asked the next day, naturally enough.  
  
"Let's just say that I won't be famous anytime soon," she said, irony lacing her words.  
  
Umino looked stricken. "I'm sorry!" he apologized. "I never should have pushed you into trying out!"  
  
She gave him a sincere smile, a smile that reached her eyes. "No, Umino. Thank you. You've been pushing me to live my life again, and though I may act like a bitch, I do appreciate it. You're a very good friend, and I don't deserve you."  
  
Umino Gurio had never been on the receiving end of such praise before, especially from a pretty girl, and he had no clue how to react. He blushed fiercely and tried to stammer out an answer, but the homeroom bell rung before he could get a coherent reply together.  
  
Usagi just laughed, a real laugh, a laugh she hadn't been able to produce since before Naru died, as she hurried off to homeroom. That felt good, and she resolved to let herself feel that way more often. Naru would want it that way...  
  
In class, her attention drifted to the window, and she remembered Yuusuke's flushed face as he watched the mysterious Tuxedo Kamen. She nibbled on her pencil as she considered the situation.  
  
In the past, she would have been thrilled that a handsome man was paying attention to her. Now, though, he was merely an annoyance, one she had to surmount if she was going to succeed in... something. Her mind was foggy, but she knew that her powers just weren't for the protection of the innocent. She should have some kind of task...  
  
She sighed as the concept refused to become clear. The last two thoughts that ran through her head was that she shouldn't be doing this alone (along with a brief silhouette of four - or was that eight? - other girls outfitted in similar fukus), and a flash of the colors of the rainbow. Talk about confusion!  
  
She shook off the thoughts just as her name was called to take a message to the office. Usagi smiled slightly and left the room to fulfill the task. As she was returning, she heard screams coming from the schoolyard, where that hour's gym class was running laps. "Shimatta!" she cursed to herself fiercely. "Do they have to bug me here at school now, too?"  
  
She ducked into the nearest alcove after taking a glance around to make sure no one was watching, and transformed. "I should have snuck outside first," she muttered. "Being caught inside wouldn't do much for the whole secret identity thing," she muttered. Luckily the nearest classroom was empty when she peeked in. With a relieved sigh, she went over to the window and opened it, balancing carefully on the ledge as she examined the scene.  
  
What she saw when she landed did *not* make her feel any better about the whole thing. A tall, red youma stood roaring in the middle of the soccer field surrounded by unconscious students who had obviously been playing the game when it surprised them by appearing in their midst. Even though the situation was dire, she couldn't help but snicker when she saw that one of the goalies' heads was resting on the ball - she wished she knew how that had happened. She shook her head and decided to get on with this. "Okay, tall, red, and ugly! How dare you interrupt a group of students playing games! I'm Sailor Moon, and I'll vanquish you!" Vanquish! Yeah! Usagi knew reading over the thesaurus had been a good idea!  
  
The huge beast - almost as wide as it was tall, and definitely all muscle - slowly turned its head in the direction of the defiant voice. Its eyes glowed as red as the rest of its body, and when it bared its fangs; the saliva that dripped from them was as well. "Well, there goes any appetite I had," Sailor Moon muttered. She didn't have time to say mush else before she found herself dodging a lightning fast charge.  
  
She blinked slowly, watching as the demon managed to get hold of her waist. Its claws tried to rip through her fuku, but it had no luck. Still, its grip was strong enough to through her through the window of one of the first floor classrooms. Sailor Moon lay on the floor in dazed confusion, wondering when the monster would come to finish her off. To her surprise, it didn't enter.  
  
As she sat up slowly, her vision became slightly blurry. She had hit her head harder than she thought. Around her the class, which had been in session watched, stunned and obviously confused about what to do. She got to her feet, which wobbled slightly as she tried to find her balance. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled, hurrying over to the window to see the monster attack a young middle schooler.  
  
The thing merely spared her a quick glance that showed a wicked grin and returned its attention to the younger boy he had trapped against the fence of the field. Sailor Moon gurgled in shock as a red beam shot out from its eyes and struck the boy in the chest. It wasn't draining him... so what was it doing?  
  
She soon had her answer when, amidst the pain-filled screams and her mad dash across the field once she jumped down from the window, a bright light seemed to withdraw from the area struck, finally coalescing into a large crystal the color of blood. Sailor Moon's sapphire blue eyes widened considerably, and realized she just found her purpose - not that she understood it exactly, but there it was all the same. Obviously if the Dark Kingdom wanted these crystals, and somehow she knew there were more, they were important, and it would be just as important to make sure they didn't get them. She blindly dove for the floating, spinning gem, not even feeling it when she was batted aside by the demon.  
  
As she rolled back to her feet, she saw what she realized was a welcome sight: a red rose firmly planted between the monster's feet, stunning it. "You will not succeed in your wicked task today, youma! I, Tuxedo Kamen, will stop you!" There, atop the tall, chain link fence, stood the masked hero in a dramatic pose.  
  
The pose! Sailor Moon resisted the urge to smack herself in the forehead. She knew she had forgotten something!  
  
"Welcome, Tuxedo Kamen. Shall we send this monster packing?" Usagi called out, a truce obvious in her tone. She still remembered how she had felt at the studio and knew she had to make up for that somehow.  
  
He looked at her a bit startled. Did his rival actually just offer to work together? During the confused pause, the boy's screaming changed from the tortured sound of an adolescent human male just hitting puberty to the enraged roar of a monster to be reckoned with. A blinding flash of red light emanated from the source of the sound, and when it cleared, the boy was no longer there. In his place was a tall, thin creature wearing a helmet and lots of blood red spandex. Both heroes turned their gazes slowly to take in the new sight, neither happy with this particular turn of events.  
  
"They can turn people into monsters now?" she asked nervously.  
  
"Looks like it, doesn't it?" he asked.  
  
"Um... I hate to be a bitch, but I don't know if I can kill him... he WAS human until a minute ago."  
  
Tuxedo Kamen frown. "There should be some way to change them back... she could do it, if she was here...." he whispered, sounding like he was walking in a dream.  
  
"Who's she?" Sailor Moon asked.   
  
Tuxedo Kamen didn't get a chance to answer. The youma had gotten tired of waiting for the two to notice his presence. "I am Gesen!" it announced, speaking in a mechanical voice. "And you are dead!"  
  
It attacked.  
  
For the first time since she had been able to transform to fight these things, Sailor Moon screamed as she dodged the blow of a metal claw that shot out from the thing's left hand. "I... I don't want to kill it!" she cried. "I think that boy's in there somewhere!"  
  
Tuxedo Kamen found himself following her example - the dodge, not the scream - when the creature turned its next attack on him. "There's a way! I... just can't remember what it is..."  
  
"Then it's not going to do us much good, now is it?"  
  
Tuxedo Kamen almost threw back a biting retort when he realized her tone wasn't derogatory, but panicked. Thus, silently, the two of them jumped, spun, dove, and in all other ways got out of the way of every attack this monster threw at them for the next ten minutes. Finally they were both beginning to tire, and they found themselves hiding on the same side of a large tree opposite where Gesen stood howling his rage. "So what's a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?" he quipped shakily.  
  
She caught the edge of terror-induced frivolity and realized it would work as a tension breaker. "Oh, same old, same old. Just hanging around until the big bad meanie gets around to making me run again. Got any ideas on how to cut this things rampage short?"  
  
He grinned as she had hoped he would. "Actually no. But running does seem like a good idea for now." He reached out to grab her hand. When the two gloves met, a flash of white light blinded the both of them, and when it faded a small wand topped by a golden crescent moon hovered there.  
  
Sailor Moon found her gaze captured by the sight. "Yes, that's it. Just what we needed..." Her dazed voice trailed off as her hand involuntarily rose and grasped the handle of the new wand. The knowledge of what she needed to do flowed into her mind effortlessly at the touch, and she stepped out into the open.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen followed just as calmly, ready to defend her if need be. And she was lucky he did. For just as she was about to go into the stance that would begin the activation of the new device, the original youma sprung from the bushes that surrounded the school building, claws extended and ready to slice off the girl's arm before she could do anything. The masked hero leaped into action, drawing his cane from its extra dimensional pocket and parrying the staggering blow. And thus the duel face-offs began.  
  
Sailor Moon lifted her scepter high into the air, standing proudly. Her eyes narrowed and she looked at the monster that stood before her, the monster that had once been her schoolmate. "I am Sailor Moon, the warrior of justice, and in the name of the Moon, I will bring truth back to your heart!" she declared.  
  
Gesen laughed. "I'm finally myself again, and you think to return me to that.... insipid life? The life of a human?" He said it as though he was spitting out an extremely vile epithet.  
  
His eyes narrowed dangerously and he pointed at her, and she suddenly became of a phantom force trying to crush her neck. "I- can't- breathe-" she gasped.  
  
"Not surprised- I'm crushing your airway! Of course, I could just break your neck, but it's so much more satisfying to watch you suffocate. The fear in your eyes is beautiful," he finished.  
  
It wasn't fear she was feeling, but fury. She raised her wand arm and started to draw a circle in the air the size of her body, ignoring the way her eyes started to see spots from oxygen deprivation. "Moon.... Healing.... Escalation!" she declared.  
  
Sparkling moons exploded around her, and she smiled as they headed towards Gesen. It struck him glancingly, and he managed to dodge away, but the crushing pressure at her throat vanished.  
  
"That's a start," she gasped, her left hand lightly grasping her sore throat.  
  
Meanwhile, Tuxedo Kamen was having his share of problems. Three roses jutted out from different parts of the red creature's body, and they hadn't even slowed him down. The only good thing about it was that he had succeeded in drawing the thing's attention away from Sailor Moon, allowing her to try to heal the transformed student. "Come on, big guy," he taunted. "Didn't your mother have any youma that lived?"  
  
The roar that comment inspired was deafening. The enraged beast flew forward pinning Kamen to the tree he and Sailor Moon had been hiding behind just a few moments before and probably cracking a few ribs in the process. "Okay, *that* was a mistake," he wheezed.  
  
He somehow found the strength to bring his cane around and wallop the stupid thing in the head repeatedly. Finally the thing got the hint and let him go, watching through a wincing expression as the fancily dressed man crumpled in a heap at the base of the tree. "Now you've gone and made me angry," Kamen snarled, struggling to regain his feet. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sailor Moon's eyes grow wide and heard her breath catch. He didn't understand what was going on with her, but he didn't have the luxury to find out with - big, red, and ugly did she call him earlier? - In front of him. With a quick motion he braced his cane and mentally activated the extension function of it, causing it to strike the youma right between the eyes.   
  
It snarled, swiping at the space the cane had been moments earlier. A wild swing managed to send the caped hero flying; having just managed to catch him off-guard as the bright lights of Sailor Moon's attack filled the air. The masked man landed near the girl's feet, and a small part of him wished he fallen just a couple inches to the left. Oh, the view...  
  
Sailor Moon seemed to take no notice of the almost compromising position she was standing in. Instead, she readied her wand for another attack, and not a moment too soon. For not just her original attacker was charging her, but Tuxedo Kamen's was as well. "Moon... Healing... Escalation!" she cried, pouring everything she had into the attack just as the two creatures met in front of her.  
  
The effects couldn't have been any more different. The first creature, the one who had managed to call forth the red crystal from the boy's chest, screamed and faded into a pile of dull grey dust that blew away in a non-existent wind, just like all the others of his kind that had faced this petite hero. The second creature, on the other hand, screamed as well as it threw its arms into the air. Finally the word "Refresh!" rang through the air, and the light left in the monster's places the teenage boy it had sprung from. He staggered and fell, a look of frightened relief all the thanks Sailor Moon needed to know she had done the right thing.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen rose to his feet, impressed. Sailor Moon was smiling gently at the terrified boy, something that surprised the man standing beside her. "It's okay," she assured the boy. "You're going to be alright."   
  
Tuxedo Kamen looked at Sailor Moon, suddenly impressed by her beauty. This was the way she was meant to look- her eyes shining, and a soothing expression on her face, rather than a look of barely contained anger. "Nice work," he complimented her.  
  
She grinned up at him impishly. "You too," she returned. She tossed the wand into the air and it vanished as she mentally banished it to subspace. How she knew to do that, she didn't know, but she was confidant she could summon it again when she needed it.  
  
She walked over to the red gem that was lying on the ground, abandoned. She bent to pick it up, but was stopped when a rose struck near her fingers. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, all feelings of comradeship vanishing as though they had been no more substantial then mist.  
  
"I can't let you have that," he said.  
  
"I'm suppose to be collecting them!" she announced.  
  
"The nijizuishou are my quest," he said firmly. "It's mine."  
  
"Nijizuishou..." she whispered, as it clicked. "The colors are of the rainbow are represented, and they shall appear in order of the color spectrum.... that means they're.... seven? Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet...."  
  
"That's right. And they're mine. I need them," he said, walking up to stand across from her, the sparkling red gem between them.  
  
"Now hold on just a minute, buster," she said menacingly. "You're not the only one with needs here. And what exactly do you need them for, anyway?"  
  
He drew himself up haughtily. "To fulfill the prophecy set forth to me in my dreams."  
  
She felt her face fall into a smirk. "Right. In other words, you don't know either." She took a deep breath and let it go in a loud whoosh. "Look, all I *really* know is that the Dark Kingdom wants these things. That's enough reason for me to want them, if only to keep them from getting them. But I get the feeling that there's something more to this. And that means I need the Red Crystal - *badly*. Are we clear?"  
  
"As mud," he snapped. "Don't you get that *I* need them?" He let out a breath explosively. "All right, let's think this through, shall we? We're both fighting against the Dark Kingdom, right?"  
  
Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes as she tried to figure out what he was getting at. "Right."  
  
"And no matter what else we may guess, letting them have these nijizuishou would be a bad thing, correct?"  
  
"Duh."  
  
"There are also six more crystals that have yet to be found." He looked to her for confirmation she was following along. He got a scathing look in return. "So why don't we split them up between us? You take half, I take the other, and once they're all found we'll decide who gets them once and for all. Fair enough?"   
  
A suspicious look overtook Sailor Moon's features. "Why are you offering this to me? And who gets the extra crystal? There are an odd number, remember?"  
  
His look softened minutely. "We're on the same side. We already established that. Other than this way we both get something we want, if one of us were to get captured the Dark Kingdom wouldn't get all the crystals that have been revealed so far. And we can decide who gets the violet crystal when we get to it." The distant sound of sirens just started to make themselves be heard. "We don't have time for this. Do you agree?"  
  
Sailor Moon eyed him up for a moment longer before deciding he was being completely honest. But she also kept the suspicious look on her face past the time she truly felt the emotion. More quickly than even she realized she could move, she darted forward and snatched up the Red Crystal. "I agree!" she called back over her shoulder as she started to run for the exit at the far end of the field. "You can have the next one!"  
  
Tuxedo Kamen stood there in utter shock for a minute before grinding his teeth together in frustration. "That girl could drive a saint to drink," he muttered before leaving the scene himself.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
After school Usagi started her daily walk home, the red nijizuishou buried safely at the bottom of her schoolbag. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do them, but collecting them would at least provide her with a little more focus... and purpose.  
  
She rounded a corner, deciding to treat herself to an ice cream at the Crown Arcade. She hadn't been there in a while, and it was time she started to live more normally. Besides, if she holed up in her room constantly and hid, there was a chance that she might miss one of the nijizuishou, and she didn't trust Tuxedo Kamen to keep their agreement.  
  
She smirked slightly as she recalled his look of utter shock as she grabbed the red gem before he had the chance to. She felt slightly guilty that she hadn't waited around to justify it to him, but she figure that since he had been the one to suggest it, then her should be perfectly willing to let her have the first one. As a sign of good faith, of course.  
  
The Crown looked much like it had in the past, though she felt strange that she didn't have Naru at her side. Her fifteenth birthday was coming up, and for the first year, Naru wouldn't be spending the night at her house, preparing to go to the Zoo with her the next morning, as was their tradition. It had always been fun, but Usagi wasn't sure that she wanted to do it on her own. There was no need to court pain, after all.  
  
The glass doors slid open before her silently, and she stepped in, wondering if the place had changed. It was the after school hours, and the place was just starting to fill up. Her eyes alighted on the new games, and she had a shock when she was what one of them was called: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon.  
  
'Hey, wow,' she thought to herself in shock, 'I *am* popular. Huh! Go figure!'  
  
"You do realize that other people would like to get in here, don't you?" a vaguely familiar male voice said from behind her. She didn't know why, but it irritated and soothed her at the same time.  
  
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a face she never expected to see again: it was the rude guy she had run into after she had left the cemetery! "You are assuming I'd be moving out of the way of a *person*," she drawled back. Usagi knew full well she was being rude, but there was something about this character that set her off.  
  
The handsome young man pulled his sunglasses down just far enough to look over them. "Do you practice being this rude and immature, or is it just a natural gift?"  
  
Part of the blonde reeled back in shock at just how gorgeous those midnight blue eyes were. The rest of her, on the other hand, rebelled at the thought of liking anything about this creep. "Definitely practice. Only pompous, self-righteous jerks like you deserve this kind of treatment."  
  
His lips tensed to a flat line as he shoved the glasses back to their rightful position. "Well, that answers my question." Before Usagi could ask what in the world he meant by that comment, the tall young man reached out, lifted her up by the armpits, and physically moved her to the side of the doorway. The beginnings of a self-satisfied smirk twitched at his lips as he walked purposefully away from the flabbergasted girl.  
  
She didn't know how it happened, but suddenly her shoe was in her hand, and she was taking careful aim for the back of his head. With an easy throw, she launched it across the space between them. To Usagi's delight, it hit him right in the back of the head, the heel smacking him soundly.  
  
"OUCH!" he yelled, spinning around to confront his assailant. He picked the shoe off the floor and stalked over to her, glaring dangerously. "Why in hell did you do that?" he demanded.   
  
She smiled smugly. "Well, manhandling a girl you don't even know could get you sued!" she declared. "Sexual harassment! I was hoping to knock some sense into you," she explained, widening her blue eyes and doing her best to sound helpful.  
  
"Really," he replied, his tones clipped. He held her shoe over her head, just beyond her reach. "Jump for it, Odango. I'm sure you could use the exercise."  
  
"You- you- Neanderthal!" she exclaimed, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her jump. "MOTOKI!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, not caring if anyone stared at her.  
  
The handsome blond appeared rapidly, his face worried. "Usagi-chan, are you ok?" Then his eyes locked on the dark-haired man. "Mamoru, what are you do to her?"  
  
"Usagi, ne?" The man, apparently the afore mentioned Mamoru, mused. "Well then she should definitely jump for it- it's what rabbits do best!"  
  
Okay, that was it. Usagi had had enough. She took a determined step forward, grabbed the arm that didn't hold the shoe, and bit him. "What is with you?" Mamoru yelled, dropping the shoe and rubbing his abused limb. "What is your malfunction?"  
  
Usagi grinned wickedly and put on her misplaced footwear. "You said you wanted me to act like a rabbit. I've watched a lot of Monty Python. Get over it." She started to strut toward the counter. "And thank you for giving me my shoe back so promptly. It was very considerate of you," she said sweetly over her shoulder before sliding gracefully onto a stool and waiting for Motoki to stop staring at her with his jaw on the ground.  
  
With a discreet check to make sure she hadn't broken the skin, Mamoru turned back and grabbed the stool next to the triumphant blonde. "Motoki, pick your jaw up and get me my coffee. You're going to catch flies."  
  
Usagi turned to him with a glare. "There are other seats here, buddy."  
  
"True, but this is the one I normally sit at. Besides, you could always follow your own unspoken advice. Move if you don't like it."  
  
She decided to ignore him. "Motoki, please ignore him and get me a chocolate milkshake, would you please? I haven't had one of yours for a long time."  
  
By this time the blonde man had recovered and saw the humor inherent in the situation. "Sure, Usagi, Mamoru. Coming right up." He turned to get their orders, and, not coincidentally, to hide a smile of the highest magnitude.  
  
Usagi turned to Mamoru. "So how do you know Motoki?" she asked curiously.  
  
"He's my best friend," Mamoru said shortly. "You aren't one of those silly girls who had a crush on him, are you? He already has a girlfriend."  
  
Usagi's eyes lowered. "I know- Reika. She's very nice... and I did have a crush on him, for a while." She sighed softly, remembering when she and Naru had giggled over him. When Naru had died, though, she realized that Motoki was merely a schoolgirl crush. She didn't have any interest in pursuing him anymore- she had more important things to do.  
  
"'Used to?'" Mamoru echoed curiously.  
  
"When my best friend died, crushes just weren't fun anymore- hardly anything is," she confessed, surprised that she was opening up to this stranger, annoying and handsome as he was.  
  
To her surprise, he didn't offer he condolences or tease her. He merely nodded, as though he understood. "'When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things,'" he said softly.  
  
"Huh?" she asked, confused.  
  
"Corinthians I 13:11," he answered in reply. "It's a book in the Bible. Basically, it means that as we grow up, we put away the things of childhood. Childhood's end means the end of innocence... and a crush is something of innocence."  
  
"I suppose so..." Usagi murmured thoughtfully, her attention turning inward.  
  
She never saw Mamoru's gaze turn contemplative as he watched her, the midnight blues lighten and his features soften. But Motoki did, and he couldn't help but think this meeting was as fateful as they come.  
  
END PART THREE  
  
Up Next: The Importance of a Promise  
And Feedback! You know you want too.... ^_~ 


	5. Chapter Four: The Importance of a Promis...

Chapter Four: The Importance of a Promise  
  
Usagi waited until she was positive her parents were asleep before climbing out the window. She landed on the ground gracefully, and then changed into Sailor Moon. Her instincts were screaming at her that there was danger... and she needed to defeat it. The way the red nijizuishou was glowing, she was betting that there'd be another attack on one of the carriers... the carrier of the orange crystal. She needed to hurry if she wanted to get it- and incidentally save the person who it was taken from.  
  
A small voice in the back of her mind reminded of her promise to Tuxedo Kamen, but she pushed it aside. If he didn't get there, then he couldn't claim the crystal, right? And if he did- well, she'd keep her word. The hero always kept their word.  
  
She smiled as she leapt up into the trees, and then catapulted over onto the roof of a building. She'd always wanted to run along the rooftops, and she wondered if the noise she was making was waking anyone up. She raced across them, taking the most direct route as she felt pulled north, towards the edge of the Juuban district.  
  
When she finally felt she had reached her destination she took a close look at her surroundings. Various buildings dotted the landscape, and the whole campus emoted a quiet feeling of contemplation. Yes, she had definitely ended up at a school of some sort, although she didn't think she'd heard of this one before.  
  
Slipping over the wall, she quietly made her way to a large fountain that was situated in the center of the open area behind what she could only guess was the residential area. It was a gorgeous statue of an angel raising it arms and face to heaven in obvious supplication, and it took her breath away. So much so, in fact, that she almost missed the shadowed figure of a young man seated on the far side of the flowing water. He appeared to be deep in thought, letting the moonlight that reflected on the falling water droplets capture his gaze and drop him further into his meditative state. Usagi was almost jealous of the calm acceptance and determination she saw on his face, wishing she could feel that way about what she did. For she also saw a fierce joy behind it all, and that was something she hadn't been able to find quite yet inside herself.  
  
Of course that was the moment the youma decided to strike. The noise from the fountain covered the nasty thing's arrival, and it took the both of them by surprise. Usagi recoiled slightly from the bat-like features of the creature's face, the orange scales that served as its skin not making things any better on the eyes. Drool continually dripped from its fangs as it picked the student up from his seat on the lip of the concrete structure, holding him above its head and leering at the shocked heroine.  
  
Usagi was about to go into a furious spiel when she stopped short at the sight she was becoming a witness to. The young man grabbed the silver cross that had been hanging from his neck and folded both hands around it. Muttered words reached the blonde girl's ears, and she could feel a power building, a power she felt sure would not do the monster any favors in the health department. She started to smile, silently cheering him on, the youma starting to get confused.  
  
Her own power started to surge and reach out of its own accord to assist, and when it brushed against the slight glimmer that surrounded the young man Usagi suddenly knew what he was doing. An exorcism! He was doing an exorcism! And that explained where she was, as well. The Christian seminary that missionaries had built right after World War Two north of the city - of course! She had never known it was so beautiful.  
  
After the epiphany had passed, however, Usagi realized she hadn't been able to help in time. The youma roared, shaking its captive then throwing him yards behind him, just missing a large tree trunk in the process and interrupting the prayer that had nearly come to a head. Sailor Moon snarled in frustration and dashed forward to do what she had originally intended - kick some monster butt. "All right, hot shot!" she called out as it stomped over to the fallen ministry student and placed a clawed hand on each of his temples. "I'm not going to let you... hurt... this innocent..."  
  
Her words trailed off as the youma ignored her and an orange glow began to surround both the attacker and its victim, quickly becoming blinding. She just caught sight of a red rose impaling itself in the ground at the monster's feet as an ear-shattering scream filled the air, for once too late to stop what had been started. Usagi had to turn her face away to preserve her sight, although she knew she wouldn't like what she'd see when she turned back.  
  
And she was right. When the glow finally died amidst the horrific laughter of the scaled walking bat, Usagi faced, instead of a peaceful, contemplative, and *brave* young priest in training, a tall, hulking beast with vulture-like talons, angel-like wings, red silk shorts with a large bell where a belt buckle would rest, and boxing gloves on each hand. The look in the new player's eyes was homicidal, and she knew who his first target would be. It was times like this she wished she hadn't gotten out of bed in the morning.  
  
"Um.... Tuxedo Kamen?" she called. "Now would be a very good time to do the hero bit and save the damsel in distress!" she called.  
  
The elegantly garbed hero appeared. "You consider yourself a damsel?" he asked curiously as he summoned his cane. He clutched one end and started off for the original monster.  
  
"Well, if it means you do the dirty work, I might allow it!" She produced her wand and stared at the monster.  
  
The monster seemed to have gotten his bearings. "I am Bokushi!" he announced grandly. "And you are the first to feel the divine wrath of the Seven Shadows!" His eyes narrowed and a pair of boxing gloves appeared on his hands.   
  
"Moon Healing-" she tried, but was stunned when one of the boxing gloves flew off his hand at her and hit her in the stomach, launching her backwards. She flew hard into the nearby fountain, coughing as she landing in the water.   
  
Bokushi laughed and moved closer as she flailed about, trying to get her bearings. "You have stolen that which is the heart of my brother- I shall retrieve it and restore him to his glory! Then the world will know our wrath!!"  
  
"Yada yada...." Sailor Moon said, sarcastically, spitting out a mouthful of water that she had almost swallowed. "The typical bad guy 'I am invincible' speech- been there, heard it before," she said coming to her feet and jumping out of the fountain.  
  
She winced to herself as he boots made a squishing noise, and wondered if her white bodysuit was as revealing as she feared- getting white fabric wet was always a bad idea if you valued modesty. Her blue skirt clung to her legs, and she knew she probably looked like a hentai anime heroine. "I'm going to DESTROY you for this humiliation!" she said furiously.  
  
Her yell distracted Tuxedo Kamen for a second from his battle with the youma. He swallowed as he saw his current ally's... predicament. "Down, boy- fight first," he whispered, extending his cane to land a blow in the youma's eye.  
  
Usagi spared a quick look to see if her ally had noticed the state of her uniform and saw the tip of his cane nail his opponent in the eye, producing a horrible shriek of pain and protest. Good, he was busy. Now for the cause of all her mental misery... "Okay, buster, you asked for it! Just remember that!" Her forefinger and thumb pinched the gem in the center of her tiara and pulled the item from her forehead, immediately causing it to transform into a disc of light. "Moon Tiara Action!" she cried.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen's shock at the sound of the attack - usually reserved for destroying an enemy instead of saving it - provided an opening for the youma he had faced off against. He barely managed to pull his thoughts back to the matter at hand in time to parry a nasty swipe of the claws, finding himself being driven further and further back from the other battle. He gritted his teeth in frustration and once again pressed his attack. Maybe if he defeated this thing quickly he could get back in time to save the feisty - and wonderfully shaped - heroine if necessary. At the very least he'd get another look.  
  
Meanwhile, the attack went exactly as Usagi had hoped it would. The glowing disc flew toward its target, and Bokushi sent one of his flying boxing gloves to intercept it. Using the distraction to her advantage, she quickly powered up her main weapon and struck her pose. "Moon Healing Escalation!"  
  
Without another dive into the fountain to interrupt, the attack went off successfully, bathing the vulture silver and gold light and blinding flash. When it faded, the seminary student stood there for a moment then collapsed in an unconscious heap. Usagi took the time to quickly take the young man's pulse and, finding him alive with his heart beating strongly, took off to find the orange crystal. She thought it had shot off in an easterly direction...  
  
Just as she had spotted the sparkle of orange in the grass near the tree the youma had nearly thrown the victim of the day into, Tuxedo Kamen obviously defeated his opponent, if the wailing scream were any indication. Usagi grabbed the crystal and turned to double check the security of the area, ending up facing the stiff form of her tuxedoed ally, his red-lined cape flapping in the breeze. She gulped audibly and reflexively squeezed the orange stone she held, feeling pinned beneath a gaze she couldn't even see.  
  
He stared at her for a few moments more, not realizing his intensity had frozen her to the spot she now stood in, then shook his head in disgust and spun to begin his retreat. He would *not* fight her for them... not yet.  
  
Usagi watched him begin to storm away and knew what she had to do. It was what she had planned to do from the beginning, after all. She ran after him, finally catching up and grabbing his arm. The unexpected gesture caught the man off-guard, and he nearly lost his balance turning to face the person who had taken hold of him. "We had a deal, remember?" she asked breathlessly, giving him a small, shy smile. "And a promise is a promise." She unclenched the gloved hand at the end of the arm she had snagged and pressed the orange crystal into it.  
  
He gazed at her, confused. "But you had it... you rushed over to get it before checking on me..."  
  
"You can take care of yourself," Usagi said dismissively. "And I wanted to make sure no other nasties snuck up on us while we were busy and snatched the prize. You just happened to get the better of the hideous beast before I could get back."  
  
A smile began to form on the formally dressed hero now clutching the orange stone. "And you did a pretty good job yourself. I thought you were going to kill the carrier for a minute."  
  
Usagi giggled. "I figured he was too quick for that, so I used it as a distraction. Not even he was quick enough to parry two nearly simultaneous attacks."  
  
"Yeah, well, now that we're done here, we should get going. I think I hear people coming out to investigate the battle noises."  
  
Usagi just caught a flash of midnight blues behind the domino mask before they became opaque once again. "I hear it too. Til next time then."  
  
"Yeah." He was glad his mask hid his roving once-over. "And you might want to hurry home, wherever that is. A body like that in a sheer wet outfit like that is bound to attract undesirables like bees to honey, and I can't always be around to save you."  
  
Usagi's jaw dropped. And things had been going so well... "Look, you chauvinistic pig, if you are trying to imply that I'm *always* a damsel in distress, you've got another thing coming! And keep your eyes to yourself! Do you think I *wanted* to get tossed in the fountain? Do you think *I* picked the material my outfit is made from? Do you think I am *enjoying* the way this situation has made me look? NO! ON ALL COUNTS, NO! Now leave me alone, you HENTAI!" She stormed off, furious with the obviously hormone driven pre-adolescent dweeb that was her only ally in the fight against the Dark Kingdom. She must have done *something* in a previous life to seriously piss off fate to have this hand dealt to her. "And remember," she called back just before she cleared the outer wall of the yard. "The next crystal is mine!"  
  
When Usagi arrived at her house, it was after two o'clock, which meant she'd have less then five hours of sleep. She jumped into her window and detransformed without another thought.... until she felt the damp cotton of her pajamas clinging to her. Apparently the person who had designed her Senshi uniform hadn't thought to make it self-drying.   
  
*  
  
The next morning found her in a foul temper. Luckily it was a Saturday, which meant no school- but that also meant she'd have to be out patrolling, as the attacks were more likely to occur in the afternoon. She'd promised to eat breakfast with her mother, which was the only reason she was getting up that early on a weekend. Briefly she thought of crawling back into bed after breakfast, but realized that would be irresponsible.   
  
Ten am found her leaving the house, dressed in a pale-pink shirt and a short jeans-skirt, which showed off her legs to their best advantage. The bows she wrapped into her odango were more due to habit than any particular concern for fashion. The Crown was always the best place to go, due to its central location in town. Afterwards she could check out the park- plenty of people would be taking walks, as it was a beautiful day.   
  
The wind lifted her hair up and teased the long strands playfully, but she was completely unaware how attractive she looked as she finally entered the realm of the Arcade. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shining as she caught sight of the Sailor Moon video game. This time she couldn't resist- she slid into the seat there and fed it a token, which she had purchased on a previous visit.  
  
To her surprise, the Sailor Moon figure actually used a weapon the resembled her tiara. Unfortunately, the games attack keys were placed awkwardly for her small hands, and she quickly found herself losing all three of her tries. She sighed and plunked down another token- the game was named after her, so she should master it!  
  
She heard Motoki's pleasant laughter after she died for the sixth time. "It's great to see you enjoying a video game again, Usagi," he said softly, a serious smile lighting his face. "I've been worried about you."  
  
"I've been worried about me, too," she confessed. "I miss Naru."  
  
He nodded. "The pain will never go away," he said, "but in time it will get easier."  
  
"Have you lost someone close?" she asked curiously. "I mean, if it isn't prying to ask?"  
  
He shook his head. "Just a grandfather I hardly knew. No, it was Mamoru who told me that- he lost both of his parents when he was younger."  
  
Usagi spun in her seat once, unable to think of anything to say aside from, "Oh."  
  
Motoki changed the subject. "So are you a big Sailor Moon fan? I heard the first TV episode is set to premier tonight...."  
  
Her sapphire blue eyes widened. "That's tonight? I didn't even realize..."  
  
"Tonight? The premier's tonight?" another voice asked from behind the pair. The two blondes turned to find Mamoru standing behind them with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Maybe I can set up my VCR..."  
  
Motoki smirked. "*You're* interested in a *kid's* show, Mamoru? I never thought I'd see the day!"  
  
"And one aimed at girls on top of that," Usagi added, still distracted. She was wondering if could set her own VCR. Well, get her dad to do it at any rate.  
  
"Well," Mamoru began defensively, "with everything in the news about this new hero, I figured I'd check out the series and see if they get things right." A blush was beginning to form on his cheeks.  
  
"Sure, Mamoru," Motoki teased. "You just want to see whoever they got to run around in that short skirt."  
  
The blonde young man couldn't believe his words could set his best friend blushing quite that hard or make him widen his eyes that far. "I... I... I wouldn't say that."  
  
"What would you say, then?" Usagi asked, feeling mischievous. She was still annoyed with Tuxedo Kamen, and taking her anger out on Mamoru wouldn't be such a bad thing. They both were annoying, dark-haired, blue-eyed- WHA-  
  
Usagi's mind blanked out as she almost made an essential connection.  
  
"I've seen her," he said. "The real Sailor Moon.... she was fighting in the park with Tuxedo Kamen-"  
  
"-You saw her?" Usagi interrupted. She hadn't remembered Mamoru being one of the people there, but it was entirely possible that she had missed him.   
  
"Yes. She fought well, I'm just waiting to see how much TV screws her up- and Tuxedo Kamen. I heard they're going to be making her 'gentler'," he said, moving his fingers to indicate quotation marks.  
  
"Don't I know it!" Usagi groaned, shaking her head. "When I read the script I couldn't believe it. I mean, really!"  
  
Both males looked at her strangely. "When you read the script?" Mamoru managed to ask.  
  
"Oh, yeah. You guys wouldn't know. I tried out for the TV show." Usagi laughed weakly, as the looks got even stranger.  
  
Suddenly Motoki's face cleared. "You did?" he asked excitedly. "That's great, Usagi! You must be doing better than I thought you were!"  
  
It was Usagi's turn to blush. "Yeah, well, Umino reminded me that life goes on. I figured I'd better get on with it. Besides, it was kind of exciting." She paused. "A youma attacked the studio actually. Right after my audition."  
  
"Really?" Mamoru asked. If Usagi didn't know better, she would have sworn he already knew about that, although the studio had done a wonderful job of covering it up. She figured it had something to do with their deal regarding her "sponsorship" - or lack thereof - of the show.  
  
"Yeah. And get this: the actor they've got playing Tuxedo Kamen has a crush on him!" The petite blonde burst out into a fit of giggles.  
  
Motoki laughed, but Mamoru looked a little green around the gills. "I refrain from any narcissism jokes!" Motoki offered with a bow.   
  
Usagi fluttered her eyelashes. "Oh, Tuxedo Kamen-sama," she said, "save me!"  
  
Mamoru surprised her by sweeping her off the stool and over his shoulder. She yelped and put a hand on her skirt, trying to keep it from riding up. "Put me DOWN!" she demanded.  
  
"I'm saving you like you asked, oh damsel!" he replied.  
  
Usagi squirmed. "MOTOKI!"  
  
The blond bent over, clutching his ribcage as he laughed. "I'm not getting involved in this one!" he said. "I value my life!"  
  
"I'll-" Mamoru said, and then set her down. The danger sense he had was tingling, and he knew that another crystal was on the verge of being revealed. "I forgot I have to work on an essay," he said, excusing himself and racing for the door.  
  
Usagi gasped as the doors shut behind the fleeing young man, feeling the same sensation unbeknownst to Motoki. "Um, my mom wanted me home to help her clean... the attic! Yeah, clean the attic..." Her voice trailed off as she absently straightened her skirt and followed after Mamoru.  
  
Motoki shook his head and he gazed after the two. "Those two are just plain crazy," he muttered. "Entertaining, but nuts." He wandered back to the counter to take care of some waiting customers, chuckling the entire way.  
  
It took five minutes for the two superheroes to arrive at the park, and Sailor Moon groaned when she saw the attack was already underway. Two metallic-looking youma were stomping around, terrifying the locals and, in general, being Evil Bad Guys.  
  
She noticed the yellow crystal on the ground, and tried to decide what to do.... she always HAD a problem prioritizing. "Which one of those is the youma, and which one is the person?" she asked, frustrated.  
  
Before she could make a determination one of the creatures took a deep breath and blew out a column of flame at a younger couple with a little girl maybe four or five years old. Frozen in place by her shock, she could only watch as Tuxedo Kamen leapt over to the family and shielded them with himself and his cape. The caped and masked hero yelled with pain, but she could see he had succeeded. The family survived to be able to run away the next moment.  
  
She felt her temper -never far beneath the surface lately- rise at the sight of her ally's injury. "Ok, I don't give a damn!" she said. She grabbed her tiara and chucked it, but in her rage, she forgot the important thing known as aiming.  
  
Sailor Moon watched as the magical energy flew wildly through the air. "Oh, shit," she swore, watching it cut through a tree, narrowly miss a police officer that was reporting on the scene, and knock a lamppost over, "I should have been more careful."  
  
"Concentrate, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Kamen ordered roughly. "Think for a second!"  
  
Normally she would have snapped at him for being rude, but she could forgive him since he must have been in considerable pain. "Fine!" She shut her eyes, trying to figure out which had been the human.  
  
Finally Usagi let loose with an explosive breath of frustration. She wasn't feeling a pull either way; it was like the strange attraction she was feeling for the glittering yellow crystal lying in the grass overwhelmed anything she might be able to pick up from the two monsters in front of her. "Well," she muttered ruefully, "that leaves only one option. Use the wand on both and hope I pick the right one the first time." She thrust out her hand and summoned the Moon Stick. "Here goes nothing!"  
  
Meanwhile, while Sailor Moon thought her way through her latest dilemma, the two youma decided not to just stand around waiting. One, the greener of them, was tearing up trees and shrubs and throwing them at random onlookers, most of who managed to dodge the missiles. Those that didn't somehow managed to avoid serious injury, and were helped away from the scene by the policemen who stood ready to offer their assistance if they could figure out what they could do against such other-worldly threats.  
  
The other, one of a more gold tint, seemed to be looking for something or someone in particular. It roared at the crowd, its glowing red eyes moving methodically over the individuals who seemed incapable of using common sense and hauling butt out of there. Tuxedo Kamen looked over at Sailor Moon lost in thought, and, while happy she wasn't just diving in impulsively like she usually did, was impatiently waiting for her to do *something*. He sighed as he realized she needed to figure out *what* to do, and dove to meet the first of the two creatures, since it seemed to be the greatest threat to the innocents that abounded.  
  
Just as he blocked a small sapling with his cane, Usagi began her attack maneuver. "Moon Healing Escalation!" she cried, aiming for the gold metallic creature that continued to stand still and roar at anyone and everyone it saw. 'Hey,' she thought as she justified her choice, 'if it's just going to stand there, it deserves what it gets!'  
  
The waves of light and energy washed over the now-silent youma, and everyone was surprised to see it just turn into a pile of dust and blow away in a gust of wind on a particularly windless day. "Guess that was the real youma," Usagi said with a shrug.  
  
"Well, maybe you'd like to turn your attention over here then?" Tuxedo Kamen called out sarcastically.  
  
Sailor Moon turned her head and saw something she was sure to remember for the rest of her life. The corners of her mouth twitched upward involuntarily, and it was only with the greatest of efforts that she reined in the urge to collapse into gales of helpless laughter. For there, in one of the larger trees that still stood, hung her masked and caped ally. His singed cape had been made into a large, make-shift diaper looking garment, and the man now hung by the back of it from a branch high in the old oak. The youma had gotten its hands on the hero's cane, and was swinging at the helpless Tuxedo Kamen like the man was a piñata. It even had a torn strip of the cape tied around its eyes.  
  
That last fact was the only thing keeping Tuxedo Kamen from having suffered any major injuries thus far. Well, as long as you didn't count his pride. At that point he could only be glad no one knew who he really was. He'd never live it down. "Well, Sailor Moon? Are you going to do something? Or do you need to think about it some more?"  
  
"No, no, that's okay," Usagi managed to reply as she tried not to laugh. "I think I can manage this one." She couldn't help but snicker a bit. She struck her beginning pose, readying her Crescent Moon Wand. She found she had to close her eyes before she started however, or she never would have made it through without losing it. "Moon Healing Escalation!"  
  
Her sapphire blues cracked open as she felt the last of the attack leave her and saw the final transformation of the green-tinted monster into a young five-year-old boy, who then flopped onto his rear end and began to cry. Usagi blinked, unknowingly copied by the man in the tree, and watched, stunned, as a frantic man rushed forward out of the crowd and gather the terrified child into his arms. A pair of policemen led them away. "A child?" Usagi wondered out loud. "That thing had been a child?"  
  
"Well, it explains a few things," Tuxedo Kamen added from his precarious position.  
  
"What do you mean, that explains a few things?" she demanded?"  
  
He looked at her. "Next time I wave the stick and YOU be the piñata," he answered dryly.   
  
"Oh," she said, unable to think of a snappier comeback. She went over to the yellow nijizuishou and picked it up, turning reluctantly to him.   
  
"Yes." He squirmed for a second. "It'd be nice if you'd get me down before people find the courage to come over to ask questions... or the fangirls show up."  
  
"Fangirls?" she asked in confusion.  
  
"Fanboys in your case. Been on the web lately?" he asked as she walked over to help him down.  
  
"Um.... I'm not what you call computer literate," she admitted. She studied the way he was tied up, amused at the crude knots. It looked like a super-strong Kindergarten child had tied him up. The knot would be awkward to get out, but...   
  
"There's a whole bunch of websites devoted to us- we're celebrities. You have marriage proposals. I have girls offering to bear my child... to start. There's all sorts of wild theories about who we are. And- what are you doing?" he demanded.  
  
She grinned, holding her glowing tiara out. "I need to get you down, don't I? Moon Tiara-"  
  
"Not like THAT!"  
  
"-ACTION!"  
  
He went tumbling to the ground, wincing as he landed awkwardly on his back. "That hurt," he informed her, pointing to wear his tuxedo had been burned through.   
  
"Sorry," she said. "I suppose we should be looking for the green one next?" she said.  
  
"It's the next color in the rainbow.... I'll let you draw your own conclusion."  
  
"I could smack you for that one!"  
  
"Ah, ah, ah," Kamen said tauntingly, wagging his finger in the heroine's face. "Next time *you're* the piñata, remember? But until next time, farewell!" The caped man bounded off away from the crowd, only his echoing laughter lingering behind.  
  
"Ooooo!" Usagi fumed. "I think I really *am* going to smack him!" She thrust the yellow crystal into her extra-dimensional pocket and made her own rapid exit.  
  
END PART 4 


	6. Chapter Five: Gravitational Forces

EMSiT Productions Presents:  
To Stand Alone  
by: Una Moonstar and Quicksilver  
standard disclaimers  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Chapter Five: Gravitational Forces  
  
Usagi walked into the arcade, her pockets bulging with pocket money. She hadn't had time to be spending lately, and she had decided to reward herself with a nice, long day at the arcade for retrieving the yellow nijizuishou. She patted her purse with her left hand, reassuring herself that it was still there.  
  
"Hi!" she chirped cheerfully as the door swung open.  
  
"Hey, Usagi-chan!" Motoki said, peeking up from behind the counter. "It's good to see you smiling..."  
  
"It's good to *be* smiling," Usagi responded as she bounced over to the counter and plopped herself onto a free stool.  
  
"Can I get you anything? Like maybe a triple chocolate fudge milkshake?" Motoki asked, grinning wickedly.  
  
The blonde girl bit her lower lip. "Oh, the temptation..." She shook her hand around in her pocket, both hearing and feeling the change jingle and finally nodded. "Oh, why not! I came here today to treat myself! A triple chocolate fudge milkshake it is!" The blonde young man chuckled as he turned to fill the order.  
  
"And what exactly do you have to be so chipper about?" a male voice said from her left a bit grouchily.  
  
Usagi blinked as she turned her head to face the source and found Mamoru sitting there, frowning slightly. "Things have just... gone well for me lately, that's all. Something wrong with that?" Her tone was slightly defensive, but in general, she was too happy with herself to really get angry.  
  
An ebony eyebrow rose. "Oh, no. Of course not." He grimaced and rolled his shoulders stiffly. "Just remember that not everybody can have it as good as you."  
  
The petite blonde caught herself just before she threw out a stinging retort and really looked at the young man next to her. He was sitting precariously on the edge of the seat, and every motion seemed to cause some degree of pain. "Are you okay? You look like you got run over by a steamroller. Either that or someone decided to use you as a piñata." She smiled inside as she remembered Tuxedo Kamen's latest predicament.  
  
His head turned sharply at the comment. "I'm fine," he snapped. "Just... had a session with my karate teacher. I'm a bit out of practice with me focusing on my studies so much."  
  
It was the girl's turn to raise an eyebrow. Somehow she knew he was lying, but it didn't feel like the time or place to call him on it. "So... you're okay?" she asked, concerned, as Motoki arrived with her shake, complete with whipped cream and sprinkles. "Oh, thanks, Motoki! This looks delicious!"  
  
"Anything for you, Mamoru?" Motoki asked his friend.  
  
"Coffee... and keep the pot handy.... I think I'm going to need lots of caffeine."  
  
"Finals getting to you?" Motoki asked in mock surprise. "I never thought I'd see the day...." he said as he handed over the unbreakable white cup all restaurants seemed to be fond of.  
  
"You are seriously asking to have this poured down your shirt..." Mamoru threatened grimly.   
  
"Promises, promises."  
  
Usagi watched the exchange with amusement before shutting her eyes and taking a sip. The chocolate flowed through her mouth smoothly, and she could not keep from sighing in pleasure. Sometimes she had to take the time to savor the smaller pleasures in life.  
  
In the midst of her indulgence, Usagi never noticed Motoki leave with one last quip and Mamoru adjust his gaze to focus on her. She also never saw his eyes soften slightly as he took in the smooth pale skin, full lips, and long dark lashes of the girl at his side. And if she had, she wouldn't have believed it.  
She was brought back to reality by a sharp muttered curse, and she opened her sapphire blue eyes to find the ebony-haired young man next to her rubbing his biceps fiercely. "What's wrong?" she asked, confused.  
  
"Cramp," was his short reply.  
  
She took a closer look at the area he was rubbing. "And bruises. Boy, I guess I'm glad I don't take karate lessons if the teacher beats you up like this." She grinned. "Life throws enough surprises at me as it is without volunteering for a beating."  
  
"...I'm in a really advanced class," he said. "You should consider taking some kind of martial arts course, or maybe even just a self-defense class. You need to know how to defend yourself. What would you do if you were attacked?"  
  
The part of her that was Sailor Moon laughed at the thought of those classes, but she remembered the time she had been attacked as Usagi... and the death of Naru. "I would sit and scream.... and wonder why it was happening. I'd say it's unfair... and watch as my friend grabbed a weapon to defend the both of us and..." she pushed her straw around in her shake, unaware that she was rambling.  
  
Mamoru was startled by the deep sorrow in the girl's eyes, and how Usagi suddenly seemed to be much older and bitter towards the world. Something about the ironic quirk of her lips brought Sailor Moon to his mind...  
  
But that wasn't possible... was it? Sure, Usagi had blonde hair and blue eyes, would be in the right age range... and then there was the piñata comment.... but Sailor Moon was so much more jaded. Sailor Moon was an angel of vengeance, and Usagi had no reason to be vengeful.... or did she? What had she just said? His head started to spin.  
  
Usagi let her voice trail off and sighed, staring off into space. After a few moments she blinked a bit and brought herself back to the arcade. She turned and smiled shyly at Mamoru. "Sorry about that. Don't mind my rambling. But I can see your point. Maybe self-defense classes would be a good idea. It can't change the past, but it could help in the future." The smile turned into a grin. "Well, I'm going to play some video games now. It's the reason I brought all this change!" She giggled as she jingled her pocket. "Maybe I'll talk to you later!" She gave a little wave and bounced off to the games, her look turning thoughtful as she tried to decide which one to play first.  
  
Mamoru's expression hadn't really changed much during that exchange (if you could call it that), except to possibly become a bit guarded. "Motoki?" he called.  
  
"Yeah?" his blonde friend replied as he stepped over from where he was wiping down the opposite end of the counter. "What do you need?"  
  
"Did you hear what Usagi was just talking about? About how she'd react if she got attacked?" He was still staring after her.  
  
"Bits and pieces. I have to admit I was a bit worried, with how she took Naru's death and everything, but she bounced back okay. And I'm happy to see it." He smiled as he looked after the girl he liked to think of as a younger sister.  
  
"Naru? Who's Naru?"  
  
"She was Usagi's best friend. Remember that story in the paper about the girl that was murdered in the OSA*P jewelry store? That was Naru. And Usagi was there when it happened."  
  
The color drained from Mamoru's face. "I... I didn't know! And I went and harped on her about self-defense classes!"  
  
Motoki looked at his best friend. "True. But you didn't tell her anything she didn't already know. And she recovered nicely. Just be careful in the future, okay? She's someone special, and I don't want to see her hurt."  
  
The blue-eyed young man shook his head. "I don't either. She seems sweet enough..." His voice trailed off as he contemplated the information he had just gained and the revelation that had hit him just before that. Usagi could have a need for vengeance after all...  
  
It made his head hurt to think about it. After all, what were the chances he'd know Sailor Moon in her civilian identity? Pretty damn slam.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You want to what?" Usagi asked in surprise.  
  
A high school student about two years older then she was had come up from no where, clutching a sketchpad like it was a security blanket. The girl had been wearing the uniform of Juuban High, and Usagi had been curious what the girl wanted.  
  
"Please, I'd like to sketch you. I have a portraiture assignment due soon, and you'd be a wonderful model..."  
"I'm not into nude modeling," Usagi said firmly.  
  
A blush lit the girl's face. "No! That's not what I meant! I mean, I want to do your face- you have such expressive eyes, and your bone structure is breathtaking.... please say yes..."  
  
"I don't really have much time," Usagi said, not wanting to commit. What if a youma attacked?  
  
"Please? It will only take one afternoon..."  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes as she sat on a bench in the backyard of a quaint little house near the high school later that day and her artistic admirer got her sketchpad and easel ready. Only one afternoon, huh? The girl *had* to go and give her that pitiful puppy dog look...  
  
"This is going to be great!" the other girl enthused. "I'll be sure to get an 'A' on this for sure! I'm still so very grateful for your time, and I'll try to do this as fast as I can..."  
  
"Hold it, hold it!" Usagi interrupted. "I know you'll do your best, and you're very welcome. Actually, it's kind of neat knowing I'm going to be the subject of a painting the whole high school will get to look at." As soon as she said the words, Usagi realized they were true. Her forced smile of reassurance suddenly softened to something much more genuine. What was one afternoon, after all?  
  
When the shy girl had finished setting up, she began looking at her watch and the gate in the waist-high fence that bordered the yard. Usagi watched her pace for a few moments before curiosity got the best of her. "So who are you waiting for? Are they late?"  
  
The girl spun to face her, causing her thick brown braid to fly around and drape over her left shoulder. "Actually yes. I ran into him on my way to school this morning, and I asked him to be here this afternoon as well. I just got incredibly lucky to have met you the same day, so I could draw you together."  
  
"Yumeni, who else did you ask to be here?" Usagi asked suspiciously. For some reason her defenses were up at the announcement of another model.  
  
"Um..."  
  
"Yumeni! I'm sorry I'm late, but I got caught up in my biology lab and... Usagi! Is that you?"  
  
The petite blonde's jaw hit the ground as she saw one Chiba Mamoru come rushing through the small gate. "Mamoru! What are you doing here?" As soon as the question left her lips, she wanted to smack herself. Obviously this was the other model.  
  
"I was running an errand before school this morning and ran into Yumeni. She asked me to pose for a painting she needed to get done for a class and I agreed." He shot an amused look at the blushing artist. "She can be very convincing."  
  
"Don't I know it," Usagi muttered.  
  
Yumeni smiled happily. "You two are friends?" she asked happily. "That's such a relief... that'll make this much less awkward...."  
  
Neither of them had the heart to tell her that they were closer to be enemies then friends. "What do you want us to do?" Mamoru asked.   
  
"Well, if you would sit next to Usagi and look at each other, I can do the sketch I have in mind...." She smiled.   
  
"Um, what is this sketch?" Usagi asked uneasily.  
  
"I've been having dreams about a prince and a princess, and a kingdom on the moon..." Yumeni said softly. "I want to draw them, but I never can remember the faces well enough. You wear your hair right, though, Usagi-chan, and Chiba-san has a prince-like aura to him that I want to try to capture. Seeing you together is.... right."  
  
Both teenagers gave her a strange look as they moved to follow her directions. A prince and a princess? Them? Not in this lifetime. "Whatever you say, Yumeni," Usagi said resignedly.  
  
The artist smiled dreamily as she watched the two students gaze into each others eyes. She even noticed when a small charge seemed to jolt through both of them. It was all she could do to keep from laughing about it as she began to draw, realizing that the pair in front of her were in the midst of a serious case of denial. She'd have to see what she could do about that. She meant what she had said before. She truly thought they looked right together. "Usagi, could you open your eyes a little wider and smile just a little bit? Just so the corners of your mouth turn upward. That's it."  
  
Mamoru couldn't help but gaze deeper as the blonde next to him did as she was told. This petite little thing really was quite attractive, even if she did make his head hurt. "Mamoru," Yumeni called. "Could you lean just a little bit closer, and maybe take her hands. Hold onto them in the space between the two of you." His midnight blues shot briefly over to the other girl in disbelief, then, with an inner shrug, gave in to the inevitable and did as requested. He somehow managed to keep himself from jumping when yet another shock ran through him at the contact.  
  
Usagi had felt the same thing, and was just as baffled. She saw the confusion in the dark intense eyes staring down at her, and knew it was reflected in her own expression. Not only was the sensation... disturbing - and not in a *bad* way, it was almost familiar, like when she had held Tuxedo Kamen's hand and the Crescent Moon Wand appeared. Yes, it was the same tingling feeling she had felt then. But that would mean that Mamoru was...  
  
It took every ounce of willpower she had not to react to the mental blow she had just given herself. She schooled her breathing, and felt an incredible migraine coming on. She could see the similarity in the set of the jaw, and she remembered the bruises and stiffness the young man had borne at the arcade. But if this were true, it left one huge, impossible question: why?  
  
Yumeni scraped her pencils across the paper, smiling as a beautiful sketch began to take life on her paper. "Thank you so much for doing this.... you two simply are beautiful... almost inhumanely so," she said, concentrating on capturing the sorrow and determination in Usagi's face.   
  
The two models remained quiet, gazing at each other intently as they tried to figure out how to confront the other about the truth. A crashing of the bushes made Usagi break eye contact first, automatically tensing. "Something evil this way comes," she said, wondering where she had heard the quote before.  
  
Mamoru dropped the blonde hands, surprised at how alone he felt without her touch. "Yumeni, get inside!" he ordered.  
  
"Huh?" the artist asked in confusion. "Could you two-" she began to request, only to be interrupted by a youma bounding out of the bushes.  
  
Usagi gasped in surprise and fell off the back of the bench at the sudden appearance of the monster. She snarled and left to her feet as Yumeni screamed and Mamoru rushed forward to get between the scared girl an the creature bearing down on her. "I... I'll go get help!" Usagi cried, starting to run for the far corner of the house.  
  
Mamoru gave her a knowing look, fleeting though it was. "I'm sure you will."  
  
The blonde refused to deal with the meaning of that as she turned the corner and found herself alone. She quickly transformed and waited a few moments to give her cover story more credibility. Finally she jumped back into the fray, posing for all she was worth. "I'm..."  
  
Her breath caught as she saw the scene before her. She had heard the continued screaming, but had thought it was only fear that caused the sound. She was wrong. Mamoru lay in a heap half under the bench, obviously tossed there by the pale green youma looming triumphantly over the terrified artist. It looked like he was out cold, a trickle of blood running from his temple where he apparently connected with the stone seat. Yumeni was surrounded in a bright green glow, and as Usagi watched and listened, the screams turned into wicked laughter, and the girl's body changed into a tall slender creature with white feathered wings and pale, almost translucent skin.  
  
"Shimatta!" Sailor Moon muttered furiously under her breath as she realized she was too late to stop the process. She did take note of the green glittering crystal that lay beneath the still standing easel, and moved over to the pair of monsters to cut off their access to it.  
  
Mamoru roused from his temporary blackout just as Usagi had planted herself in front of the green gem. "Alright, you two nasties," she said cockily, kicking the crystal back toward the bench unobtrusively. "I'm Sailor Moon, and I am here to kick your butt! How dare you interrupt a wonderful artist's modeling session? Don't you realize that you just interrupted not just one person's big career break, but *three*?" The ebony-haired young man stared incredulously at the flamboyantly gesturing hero as she continued to babble, both youma in the same state of shock. The only thing that kept him from completely thinking Sailor Moon had gone off her rocker, was the quick knowing look she threw over her shoulder, along with a minute gesture toward the crystal and the side of the house.  
  
Once the dense man behind her had finally gotten the hint and taken the opening she had given him, Usagi relaxed and moved back and away from Yumeni's sketch. No reason to let this battle destroy all that hard work. She smiled. "Okay. I think I'm done now. Oh, Tuxedo Kamen!" she called. "I think it's time to bring the pain!"  
  
"I disagree!" the youma who had been Yumeni said. "Bena cannot be defeated that easily!" She produced a paint brush and grinned wickedly.  
  
Meanwhile Mamoru had reached the nijizuishou and pocketed it unobtrusively. It was obvious that his identity had been blown, so he decided to transform into his alter-ego. It might do something to steady his headache (he knew it was more likely a concussion, but thinking on it wouldn't do any good], so he produced his rose and threw it, signaling the beginning of his transformation.   
  
All three females watched in fascination as his clothes shifted into a formal tuxedo and a cape appeared. Finally the hat came to his hand, and he paused, bowing graciously at them.  
  
Sailor Moon seethed. "That's so not fair! How come you don't end up stripped and dancing with ribbons?" she demanded.  
  
"Wouldn't do much good for my masculine image. Now, shall we?"  
  
"I suppose. But we're going to be having a VERY long conversation!"  
  
"Not if *I* have anything to say about it!" The first youma took advantage of the heroes' distraction and pounced on the tuxedo-bedecked man, talons bared. The pair fell back with a startled yelp.  
  
Sailor Moon turned quickly to face the remaining monster. "Yumeni, if you can hear me, don't worry. I'll save you. I promise."  
  
Bena cackled. "Foolish girl. Yumeni no longer exists! Only I, Bena, face you! And it shall be *me* who defeats you! Now die!" The wicked angel threw the handful of feathers at the shocked blonde hero, who was surprised to see flew and stuck in the ground much like her ally's roses.  
  
"I won't let you win!" Usagi cried, dodging more missiles. A quick glance to the side revealed Tuxedo Kamen struggling with his opponent, a bleeding gash in his side that slowed him up a bit. She was on her own - which was the way she liked it. She grinned wickedly herself. "But if I have to hurt you before I heal you, so be it!"  
  
As Usagi dodged the attacks coming at her, trying to find an opening she could use to call her wand and defeat this... thing, she failed to notice one handful of feathers hover in the air above her head and begin to move as though they were drawing something. The invisible lines they created filled in, and large stones began dropping from the sky, giving Usagi that much more to think about.   
  
"Give up, Sailor Moon!" Bena exclaimed. "I am far too fast for you, and your partner is too busy to save you! If you give up and give me the crystals you have, I'll make your death quick and painless!"  
  
"Oh, there's a choice," Sailor Moon drawled sarcastically, wiping away at the thin lines of blood that had formed on her face and arms from the close calls and continuing to dodge. "I've got a better one. Stand still for a minute and let me use my wand on you. You'll feel much better, I promise."  
  
"No deal, Sailor Moon."  
  
"See? That just leaves us at an impasse, now, doesn't it?" As the last word of the quip left her lips she moved quickly to the right to avoid the dozen razor-edged feather flying her way as she somehow managed to call the Crescent Moon Wand, and stepped right underneath the large boulder that had been drawn a few feet in the air. She didn't even get a chance to yell as it knocked her unconscious.  
  
"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Kamen cried as he saw the hero fall out of the corner of his eye. He took another rake across the ribs for his trouble, but instinctually managed to maneuver so it was a light graze and he covered the area between him and his fallen ally. "Sailor Moon, no," he murmured as he fell to his knees at her side.  
  
He almost didn't hear the evil chuckling behind him as the two youma came together. His eyes were focused on the limp form lying before him. Suddenly, anger flowed through his veins, and he reached for the wand that rested in the loosening grip of its owner. He didn't exactly know what he was going to do with it, but he figured he'd think of something.  
  
As his hand touched the handle, the tiny gloved hand it rested in twitched. His head snapped to the side and he saw Sailor Moon's large sapphire blues flutter open. "You're okay," he breathed, his hand not loosening its grip.  
  
"Did you get the number of that truck?" Usagi murmured.  
  
Mamoru chuckled. "No, I think I missed that one. But I could use your help with the terrible twosome here."  
  
Before the prone girl could respond, she was blasted by ball of dark energy, causing her to scream in agony. her companion gasped and turned his gaze to see the first youma grinning wickedly. He'd have to do something about that...  
  
Just as he was about to let go and beat the tar out of the offending monster, he felt the girl's grip tighten. "Help me hold this up," she whispered. "I can get them both with one attack."  
  
"You don't even have the energy to move!" Tuxedo Kamen protested.  
  
"Try me."  
  
He stared into that determined gaze for a moment or two before the whispered order to kill them both reached his ears. Then he raised Usagi's body onto his lap and held onto the wand for all he was worth. "Do it, Sailor Moon. I'm right here with you."   
  
She smiled at the irony of the situation. Her rival was helping her succeed... "Moon Healing Escalation!" she said in a powerful whisper, not having the strength to say it any louder.  
  
Mamoru gasped as a strange sensation ran through his body even as he continued to concentrate on making the attack work. There was a warmth growing in his chest, and he watched as the blast of energy and light, normally white and silver, took on a distinctive golden tone. He filed the odd information away to be questioned later and focused on the task at hand.  
  
As different as the attack looked, it worked the same. The pale green youma crumbled into dust, even as it came a hair's breath away from sinking its claws into Tuxedo Kamen's unprotected back, and Bena screamed, her wail fading away as Yumeni collapsed to the ground in a quivering heap.  
  
Sailor Moon's eyes rolled up into her forehead, and Tuxedo Kamen sighed. He had two unconscious females on his hands, and what the heck could he do with them? He was still sore, and settling them inside would HURT... besides, helping Sailor Moon with her attack had made him feel oddly light-headed. "Ok... first thing's first. I need to get back to being Mamoru." He shut his eyes and willed the transformation magic away.  
  
A second later a normal college teenager was holding the heroine of justice. "Now I should get her back to being Usagi..." he reasoned, but was unable to come up with a way. So the second thing option would be to hide her from Yumeni until Usagi was awake to change herself.  
  
He picked the blonde up, and was surprised at how light she was, especially considering all the junk food she ate. It was easy enough to shift her onto the lower branches of a tree and arrange the leaves so she was shaded from sight.  
  
"Now Yumeni..." he said, going over to her, ignoring the protesting muscles he had received in the prior Youma battle, and his bleeding side. The blood was already beginning to clot, for which he was thankful. The best thing about being a superhero were the super healing abilities that came as part of the package.   
  
The artist was just coming around when he came over to her. "Are you all right, Yumeni-san?" he asked.  
  
The girl seemed confused. "I feel fine, but where's Usagi-chan? Is she alright?"   
  
"She went to get help- should be arriving soon," he said, trying to reassure her. Hopefully Usagi would come to soon enough to perpetuate the ruse.  
  
"That's- Chiba-san!" Yumeni exclaimed. "Are you alright?" Her eyes fastened on the red blood that blossomed from his side, ruining his clothes. "What happened?"  
  
"That monster threw me and then... well, I'm not too sure. I have vague memories of Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon showing up..." he babbled, not used to making up cover stories. He wondered if Clark Kent ever had the same problem.  
  
Yumeni's eyes grew vague and it seemed like she wasn't seeing her surroundings.   
  
"Yumeni?" Mamoru asked tentatively, unsure of what was happening. He kept his hand on his transformational rose just in case the artist was having a relapse, but didn't really suspect as much.  
  
The brunette's expression became stricken, and her breathing short and quick. "No, no... so much blood... the princess, not the princess... there! Behind the prince! Quickly!" Her eyes were still unfocused, but were darting back and forth.  
  
Mamoru was thoroughly confused. What in the world was she talking about? He didn't think she was on drugs...  
  
A heart-wrenching wail escaped Yumeni's lips as she fell to her knees, still lost in her vision. "No! Endymion! No!" Tears streamed down her cheeks for a few moments before her breath caught in a sharp gasp. "Serenity! Not that! Your mother needs... No! No! Stay away from her! Stay away!"  
  
Somehow Mamoru couldn't bring himself to snap the girl in front of him out of the trance she was in. It was one of the strangest things he'd seen - when he wasn't fighting evil - and it even freaked him out a bit. But something told him he should let it run its course.  
  
"Serenity!" Yumeni screamed, collapsing to the ground completely and letting loose soul-rending sobs. It was almost as if she had just lost one of the most important people in her life. Finally, as the ebony-haired young man watched, her crying lessened and eventually stopped all together.  
  
"Yumeni?" he questioned again, hoping the girl had returned to the here and now. "Are you okay?"  
  
She blinked, coming back to herself. "Oh.. oh... did I go off?" she asked, a fierce blush staining her cheeks.  
  
"Go off?" he asked.  
  
She started to shake. "I did, didn't I? What did I say- no, don't tell me... I don't want to know. Can you help me gather my art supplies? I think I want to lie down...."  
  
"Yumeni-kun... maybe you should go to a hospital?" he suggested gently.  
  
She shook her head fiercely. "No, no... my parents will just take me to the doctors again... please..." She rose to her feet shakily and rushed around gathering her supplies before dashing to the door. "Can you wait here for Tsukino-san? I need to take some migraine medication... I'm going to be getting one soon- I'm really sorry to be leaving you like this, I know it's rude, but-" she rambled.  
  
Mamoru took pity on her. "I'll take care of Usagi-chan," he promised.  
  
"Good, good. I'll call you later to arrange a time to finish the sitting. I'm so sorry," she whispered, bowing before disappearing between the French doors.  
  
He watched her for a second before turning to the tree where he had hidden Sailor Moon. "Well, that takes care of one problem," he said.   
  
"One problem... you still have a whole bunch of NEW ones, buddy," a light voice said from above him. Sailor Moon had woken up and detransformed back into Usagi. She was sitting on a higher branch then he had left her on, probably to get the high ground. Her serious blue eyes were studying him like she had never seen him before. "You have some explaining to do."  
  
END PART FIVE  
  
Remember, FB is a good thing  
Really. 


	7. Chapter Six: When Something Works

EMSiT Productions Presents:  
To Stand Alone  
by: Una Moonstar and Quicksilver  
standard disclaimers  
  
Notes: Previous Parts are available at Aria's Ink, FF.net, or the ESML Lair: http://demando.net/emsl  
  
~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
Chapter Six: When Something Works  
~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
  
"Explaining?" Mamoru asked innocently. "Whatever do you mean?"  
  
Usagi narrowed her eyes at him. "You know exactly what I mean, Cape Boy."  
  
"Oh, if you're going to be that way about it..."  
  
"I already guessed you know I'm Sailor Moon, so don't bother. What do want to do about it?"  
  
"You seem to be the one with all the bright ideas. You tell me." He crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
Usagi stuck her tongue out at him. "Come on. I'm not trying to be a bitch about this, I swear. We need to figure out what this all means, and the only way to do that is to talk it out. So don't be a prick."  
  
Mamoru sighed. "Fine. We can do it your way. You do have a point. So how did you find out you were Sailor Moon?"  
  
The blonde in the tree froze, her whole essence seeming to withdraw into herself. "You heard about Naru?" she asked emotionlessly. "That's when."  
  
"Don't do that, Usagi," Mamoru cautioned quickly, worried at the change in her demeanor. "It'll only hurt you in the long run. I know."  
  
Anger flashed in the sapphire blues above him. "And what do you think you know? How can you relate to losing someone you love so violently right in front of you? How?"  
  
It was Mamoru's turn to withdraw. "I don't remember much, but the brief flashes I do get make me wake up screaming. My parents died when I was six in a car accident. I was in the car with them. When I woke up in the hospital after being in a coma for two weeks, I found my parents gone and my memories of them and myself gone as well. So just be glad you can remember your loved one when you wake up screaming in the middle of the night, Usagi. Because it sure as hell beats the empty void I feel as I stare at my ceiling trying to calm down enough to get back to sleep."  
  
Usagi bit her lower lip as she realized she just might have gone too far, and that Mamoru truly could understand her pain - maybe even better than she could. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't know, and I shouldn't have snapped at you like that when you were just trying to help. It's just so hard..."  
  
His shoulders drooped a bit as he let his head drop and his muscles relax at the break in tension. "There's no way you could have known. And I am sorry about your friend. You were obviously very close to her." He brought his head back up and locked gazes with her. "So what do we do now?" He gave her his patented quirky grin. "And could you come down here? I'm getting a crick in my neck."  
  
Usagi giggled despite herself. "Well, maybe a little bit." She scrambled down a few branches and sat down on one that let her look her companion straight in the eye. "Better?"  
  
"Much."  
  
She nodded thoughtfully. "What are we going to do? And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you have the fondness for formal wear, are you?" she asked with amusement.  
  
He looked at her with serious eyes. "The first few times, I barely remembered it afterwards... lately, I've been getting a better picture... I'm after the ninjizuishou to help get the ginzuishou..."  
  
"The ginzuishou..." Usagi echoed. "I should know that."  
  
"I have no clue what it is for, but if it's involved with these gems, you can bet it's powerful..."  
  
"Who told you to?" she demanded.  
  
"A princess, in a dream..." he said softly. "She's begging me to get the ginzuishou, so I can free her..." he said softly, then he gasped softly. "Yume... a dream. Yumeni... a dreamseer... I wonder..." he said softly.  
  
"Huh?"   
  
"Right after you collapsed, and I hid you here, Yumeni had a vision- about a princess. I wonder if she's a dreamseer. She has the name for it."  
  
Usagi laughed in spite of herself. "You think she's a seer because of her NAME?" she said, unable to hold back her giggles.  
  
Mamoru, though, was serious. "There's power in names."  
  
"Sure. I'm a rabbit."  
  
"Sure thing, Tsukino," he said, smiling slightly.  
  
"HEY! What do you mean- oh. Sailor Moon. Coincidence!" she insisted.  
  
"Sure, Usagi," Mamoru said smugly.  
  
"So what about you? 'Protector of the Earth'? What's that mean? I fail to see the connection with running around in a tuxedo, cape, and mask." Her attempt at haughtiness failed miserably as the corners of her mouth kept twitching upward.  
  
"I'm working on that," he said a bit defensively, although his eyes were twinkling.  
  
"So what's with the princess?" Usagi asked once she stopped giggling and decided to get at least halfway serious. "Something about the idea feels right, but I've never had any dreams like that. And I'm just as drawn to these ninjizuishou as you are."  
  
"I don't think we have all the answers yet. But we need to keep the ninjizuishou out of the hands of the Dark Kingdom no matter what."  
  
"I agree. Does that mean we're going to work together? Maybe we can help each other find those answers while we're at it." The petite blonde cocked her head to the side and looked at the young man standing before her contemplatively.  
  
Mamoru didn't know what to say to that. The two of them seemed to work well together, and Usagi was a lot deeper than he had originally given her credit for. And the good looks certainly didn't hurt. "I think we might be able to make some arrangements in that regard. We do share a common enemy after all." He smiled warmly. "And it's nice to run into a girl who can keep her head around me. Keeps me humble."  
  
Usagi scoffed. "Like that's possible. Maybe I can keep you a little closer to the earth, but that's all I dare promise." She grinned.  
  
He chuckled. "Then that's what I'll take."  
  
She started to giggle, but the laughter caught in her throat as she saw Yumeni at one of the windows that opened onto the back yard waving at them frantically. "Um, Mamoru-san, I think Yumeni is trying to tell us something," she said warily as she pointed behind the young man.  
  
He turned his head sharply and took in the same sight. "Right. I think her parents must be home. Let's get out of here before they start asking questions. The back yard isn't in the best of shape after all, and I don't think either one of us wants to take the blame for it."  
  
"Right." She jumped down from the tree and the pair of them took off running just as an older couple opened the back door to take a closer look at the mess the vandal had left behind. Only the rustle of leaves from the bushes marking the edge of the yard marked their passing.   
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Did you hear?" Umino asked Usagi about a week later right before homeroom. "Apparently Sailor Moon has become Tuxedo Kamen's sidekick after all!"  
  
Usagi blinked slowly, hoping the sound of her grinding teeth wasn't apparent. "What?" she said, her voice dangerously sweet.  
  
The nerd plowed on, unaware of the mortal peril he was in. "At the most recent battles, they were working together!"  
  
"That doesn't mean she decided to be his sidekick! Maybe he decided to be hers," she suggested sweetly.  
  
Umino looked slightly puzzled. "I thought the girl was always the guy's love interest or sidekick?" he said.  
  
"You've been reading too much manga again. Just because they're getting along better doesn't mean she's his sidekick," she said in a disgusted voice.   
  
The teacher entered the classroom then, and the class was called to rise and bow, so Umino was prevented from asking anymore questions.  
  
The day seemed to drag on and on, and Usagi only paid attention through sheer force of will. Her grades had been steadily rising, much to her parents' delight, and she fully intended on keeping things that way. Still, she had to meet Mamoru after school at the Crown Fruit Parlor to discuss their plans, and maybe figure out more of what was going on. It was like having half of a jigsaw puzzle, and being told to take a guess at what picture it would form.  
  
Finally the bell rang, and she was out of the door like a shot, and to the Crown at record time. Mamoru had gotten there before her, and snagged a quiet booth in the corner. She smiled as she saw he had taken the liberty of ordering her a triple chocolate fudge milkshake. "Are you sure we should be talking about this in public?" she said.  
  
He shrugged. "Most people will think we're dating. That won't bother you, will it?"  
  
She blushed. "I don't think there's much chance of me dating anyone soon, Mamo-chan," she teased.  
  
"Sure thing, Usako," he bantered back playfully, before his eyes grew serious. "It's been a week, and none of the other nijizuishou have appeared, in spite of the monster attacks continuing," he said seriously. "We may have to change our search strategy."  
  
"What, there's another method? So far stealing the nijizuishou during monster attacks has been working pretty well."  
  
"We've been lucky so far... aside from your friend, no one's been hurt seriously."  
  
"I wasn't Sailor Moon until after Naru died," Usagi said softly. So we're batting 1000," Usagi snapped.  
  
Mamoru winced. He had forgotten how sensitive Usagi was about the subject of Naru. "We could miss one, and that'd be hard to recover. The next one to appear is the blue nijizuishou- maybe we should think of some other way to find it."  
  
"And how do we get it out?" Usagi asked. "Stab the carrier?"  
  
Mamoru was quiet for a moment.. "I don't like it, but it looks like we're going to have to wait for the monster attacks."  
  
There was a long silent pause where the two teenagers just looked at one another. "Well?" Mamoru finally asked.  
  
"Well what?" Usagi returned.  
  
"Why didn't you say anything? What's your opinion?"  
  
The blonde couldn't help but grin. "Oh, I was just thinking that a line like that was like inviting a monster attack, so I was waiting for the telltale signs. Otherwise I'm thinking there's nothing else to do. We don't know where to find the Dark Kingdom, so we have to wait for them to come to us."  
  
Mamoru chuckled. "You're right, Usagi, now that I think about it. That line was a perfect set up line, wasn't it?"  
  
"Would have been for the TV series."  
  
"So, what do we have here?" a new voice said suggestively. "A new pair of love birds?"  
  
"Don't even *go* there, Motoki," the ebony-haired young man growled threateningly.  
  
The arcade attendant grinned. "Oh, come on. I see my favorite two antagonists sitting together having a civil conversation, even sharing some laughs... what am I supposed to think? Besides, this is the most relaxed I've *ever* seen you with in the presence of a member of the opposite sex."  
  
"Is that so?" Usagi asked, a delicate blonde eyebrow raised. "How does he normally act?"  
  
Motoki fought to keep from laughing at the shade of red his best friend's face was turning. "Stiff as a board, short, curt answers to comments or questions, stuff like that. Keeps them at an arm's length."  
  
"If I don't do that they're all over me. Since I happen to like my personal space, I try to politely hold them off." He gave the blond young man a piercing glare. "Not that *you're* any help."  
  
"Okay, okay, you two. To be fair, how does Motoki act around girls?" Usagi asked through her giggles.  
  
Mamoru scoffed. "This boy's head is in the clouds. Any connection to the real world is suspended unless someone, namely me, manages to bring him back. I should get paid for it, since it happens every other week." He frowned thoughtfully. "Although I haven't had to for about a month or so now. That's odd." He shot another glare his friend's way. "That leaves two choices. Either aliens have switched the real Motoki for a pod person, or you found someone to get serious about. Personally, I think it's option number one."  
  
Motoki returned the glare as Usagi fell over on her side of the booth laughing uncontrollably. "You already knew about Reika, Mamoru. Don't give me that line. We've been kinda serious for a while now."  
  
"Maybe so, but you've said that about the last three relationships you've been in. I was just making a judgment call based on past experience." Mamoru flashed him a humor-filled smile.  
  
"Don't even get me started on past experiences..." Motoki's words trailed off as the bells on the front door jingled and he turned his head reflexively to see who was walking in. A bright smile lit up his features, and he waved the new girl over. She had long, wavy brown hair and bright hazel eyes, and she returned the smile aimed her way in equal measure.  
  
"Hi there, Motoki. I thought you said you'd be working today. I just got out of my debate club meeting, so I figured I'd stop by and say hi before heading home for supper. Hi, Mamoru. Who's the giggling girl? Are you guys going out?" Her smile turned impish as she turned it in the seated young man's direction.  
  
This, of course, started a fresh new gale of laughter from the other side of the table. "No, actually. We're just friends. We were... discussing a few common interests before Motoki came over. How was your meeting?"  
  
"Same old, same old. We really need to get a new advisor. Mister Hakata just has too short a fuse."  
  
As the conversation continued on, a quiet noise coming from the backpack her head was resting on finally caught Usagi's attention. It was a light beeping sound that only seemed to have started when the new girl walked up to them. The petite blonde's laughter died out and she unobtrusively dug out the Crescent Moon Wand that she had securely inside to discuss with Mamoru. She could still remember the odd sensation when it formed at their touch. The gem at the juncture of the crescent and the handle was flashing, and Usagi wasn't sure just what that meant.  
  
She nibbled her lip, looking up at Reika, wondering about the other girl. The girl was assured, and projected confidence, but Usagi had no clue who she was. "Mamoru, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" she suggested pointedly.  
  
Mamoru looked at the blonde, noticing the tense look in her sapphire blue eyes, and immediately his instincts kicked in. Usagi had noticed something. "Usagi, meet Sadoka Reika. She has the misfortune to be Motoki's current girlfriend. Reika, this is Tsukino Usagi. She's one of Motoki's best customers."  
  
"Hi! Nice to meet you!" Reika said, bowing politely. Her bearing made her seem around Mamoru's age, but there was a look in her eyes that made Usagi place her age much younger than that.  
  
"Indeed," Usagi said. Then she did something totally out of character, and offered her hand.  
  
Reika smiled and shook it easily, unaware of the jolt of dark energy she scent up the disguised heroine's body. It was all Usagi could do to keep from gasping in shock and recoiling. She maintained a pleasant expression, but Mamoru sensed the stress she was going through, and came to her rescue.  
  
"Isn't this month your and Motoki's sixth month anniversary?" he said, giving Usagi a moment to recovery her hand and take an unobtrusive deep breath. Her wand was still beeping, and combined with the jolt of energy she had just experienced, she had a pretty good idea what was going on.  
  
Reika was one of the nijizuishou carriers.  
  
So now all we have to do is hand around her until she's attacked and steal the nijizuishou before the Dark Kingdom gets it, she thought. Strangely, she felt no sense of pride over locating one of the gems before an attack, This time, the victim would be someone who was loved by a friend, and if she failed, it would be like failing Naru all over again.  
  
"Yup!" Reika was saying. "Our anniversary is on the 13! People say it's unlucky, but I've never found it so!"  
  
"Are you in college with him? Or high school?" Usagi asked.  
  
Mamoru and Motoki burst out laughing, though Motoki seemed a little embarrassed. Reika explained, "I'm taking my high school entrance exams next March," she said. "I know I'm a little young to be dating Motoki, but sometimes love just isn't rational," she said, a little bit more quietly. "I'm a lot more mature then all the guys in my class, and being with Motoki just feels right. People joke about destiny, but... I believe in it. Especially when I'm with him."  
  
Motoki, by this time, had turned the color of a tomato. "Reika..." he said, looking like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.  
  
She grinned up at him. "I'm so happy with you that I want the whole world to know how I feel."  
  
Mamoru looked at them. "I hope I'm never as head-over-heels as you two are. If I ever date a girl, she's going to know her place."  
  
"Her place?" Usagi echoed, not really paying attention. The damn beeping was going through her skull. She could hear it throbbing into her skull.   
  
"Uh-ohhhhh..." Motoki said, laughing. "We'd better leave, Reika! Here comes an Usa/Mamo battle royal!" he said. "All wise people run for cover when one of these blows up!" He wrapped his left arms around his girlfriend's slender waist, dragging her off to a more private location.  
  
Mamoru watched them leave. "What is it about Reika, Usagi, that has you so on edge?"  
  
Usagi pulled out the Crescent Wand, which was still beeping lightly, though its intensity had decreased. "Look," she said.  
  
Mamoru looked at it. "Not good. And when you touched her?"  
  
"Waves of dark energy."  
  
"You think...." He trailed off, not wanting to believe that his best friend's girlfriend was one.  
  
"Nijizuishou carrier. Makes things easier, in a way. Problem is, we don't know how to get the damn thing OUT," Usagi grumbled.  
  
"Hmm," Mamoru murmured thoughtfully. "The wand can detect the carriers, obviously."  
  
"Too bad we didn't know about *that* little function earlier," Usagi said with a scowl.  
  
"And we know you have to use it to heal them when the crystal's been removed," he continued, ignoring the last comment.  
  
"Wait a minute," Usagi interrupted, finally shaking off the effects of the bad feelings she was being swamped with. "Are you trying to say we might be able to use the wand *before* the Dark Kingdom does whatever it does to get the nijizuishou out of the carriers? Before another youma attacks?"  
  
"Possibly. But I'm not sure exactly how."  
  
Again the jingling of the front door bells rang through noticeably. The pair of undercover superheroes looked over and saw Motoki grinning as he returned to his customary position behind the counter. Reika must have left while they were talking.  
  
Wait a minute... The two of them gasped as they both realized the significance of that little nugget of information. "Let's go!" Usagi cried as quietly as she could manage in her excitement.  
  
"Right," Mamoru agreed, rising from his seat. "Let me pay for this and we'll leave." Usagi nodded and followed him from the table.  
  
"Leaving so soon?" Motoki queried with a knowing smile on his face as he took the money Mamoru offered him for their drinks. "Need a little time alone, maybe?"  
  
"Where did Reika go, anyway?" Usagi asked before her companion could get started again. "I thought she would have stayed longer."  
  
"She would have, but her parents wanted her home for supper, and she lives a ways north of here. If she was going to get there on time she needed to leave now. I'll talk to her later."  
  
"I'm sure you will, Motoki. Just be sure to let the girl get some sleep tonight. I know just how long-winded you can get," Mamoru drawled, smirking. "Now let's get going, Usagi. Reika isn't the only one who has parents who expect her." The girl shot him an annoyed look, but followed him out, the pair giving Motoki a last wave before the doors closed behind them and they found themselves outside on the sidewalk.  
  
"You know, your last comment could be taken the wrong way, Mamo-chan!" Usagi shot. "Do you want Motoki to think we're dating?"  
  
"I thought you said you didn't mind."  
  
"Well... not Motoki! He'll never let either of us live it down!" Usagi protested, pouting slightly.  
  
"Do you really care? I don't know if either of us will live through this."  
  
Usagi halted and glared at him. "You are absolutely horrid. I don't want to think like that!"  
  
Mamoru looked at her, his blue eyes hard. "You'd better start to. If you don't think about dying, you're a fool. You saw what those monsters did to your friends, and death is a very real part of this game we're playing. So if you're not willing to risk that, go home, little girl," he said.  
  
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she said stubbornly. "I'm in for the long haul, Mamoru. I just prefer not to go into it thinking I'll die. There's such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy, you know."  
  
"There's also a little thing called denial," he snapped back. "If you don't face the reality of our situation, it could be detrimental to our cause."  
  
Usagi's arm shot out, grabbed Mamoru by the lapel of his jacket, and dragged him down so he was at eye level with her. "I *will* *not* fail in my duty, Mamoru. Don't you worry about that. But the last thing Naru would want for me was to even think about dying in the process. I watched my best friend die; I know that is a very real possibility. But I *will* do everything in my power to come out of this alive, for Naru's sake. Because she'd want it that way. And the hell if I'm going to let you go before me. I won't lose anyone else." Her intense words and expression made up for the lack of volume as Mamoru recovered from the complete shock of her actions.  
  
He straightened and readjusted his clothing. "Well, that being said..." His shaky voice cut off as a scream rang through the air from somewhere north of them. "Damn! It's happening again!"  
  
"No!" Usagi cried as she ran off in that direction. She couldn't lose this fight. She just couldn't.  
  
Mamoru grabbed her and dragged her into a nearby ally. "Change into Sailor Moon, then we can take Rooftop Highway," he said.  
  
She nodded, deciding her embarrassment over her stupid henshin was outweighed by the urgency of the situation. "Don't you dare watch!" she commanded. "Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" she yelled, feeling the energy course through her, and Mamoru threw his rose out to initiate his own change.  
  
The change felt different. She could feel Mamoru's own power reverberate with her own, and it seemed to course over her in waves of refreshed power. The ribbons danced more intensely, and she wondered what was happening. Still, they didn't have time to sort things it- it would be something to discuss later. Perhaps it was due to him being able to help her channel with the Crescent Wand.  
  
The transformations complete, Mamoru looked at her. "Need a lift?" he asked.   
  
"Normally I'd say something about being a self-sufficient woman, but this is an emergency!" she said.   
  
He nodded, cupping his hands. She stepped into it and he flung her upwards, and she used the momentum to go towards the nearest roof, but not before knocking his hat off his head. "Hey!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Sorry!" she mocked. "I just can't stand that thing anymore!"  
  
"You're just lucky I happen to share that opinion," he grumbled as he leapt up and joined her in a mad dash toward the source of the now-apparent disturbance.  
  
The sight that met them when they arrived on the scene brought involuntary tears to Usagi's eyes. Reika was pinned to the ground in the courtyard of a large museum, a huge minataur-looking monster hovering above her. Just as the blonde hero was about to jump off the roof she had paused on and knock the ugly thing off the other girl, beams shot out from the creature's eyes and impacted its victim's chest. The screaming that had been echoing periodically intensified exponentially, finally ending with the blue nijizuishou hovering in the air above the now-motionless young woman.  
  
With a wordless shout, Sailor Moon tackled the minataur, causing them to roll a distance away from Reika as a bright blue aura surrounded her, both breathless form the impact. "You lousy piece of trash!" Usagi gasped out as she kneed the creature where it mattered, having landed on top of it. "How dare you touch her?"  
  
The thing lost what breath it had somehow recovered, but still managed to grit out, "You're too late, Sailor Moon. The Shadow Warrior has returned, and it shall rend your flesh from your bones."  
  
"Promises, promises."  
  
"We're not beaten yet," a familiar voice said from above the pile. "And we have the blue nijizuishou. So bring it, bucky. We don't lose."  
  
Usagi looked up and saw Tuxedo Kamen standing next to them, a cocky smile on his face and the blue crystal displayed in his right hand. She started to return the expression when something else caught her eye. "Look out behind you!" she cried.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen, minus his much-hated hat, didn't have time to see it coming.   
  
Reika had transformed.  
  
The youma who had once been the pretty young middle school student had risen from the ground, her features dramatically changed. Her long brown hair was gone, replaced by a yellow and red crop that only covered half her scalp. Her figured had developed more, and her skin had changed into a dramatic green. What almost amuse Sailor Moon was that her outfit was now more revealing then the senshi fuku. Still, it was the youma's eyes that horrified her.  
  
None of her kindness remained, which she aptly demonstrated by jumping on top of Tuxedo Kamen while his back was turned, and proceeding to strangle him.  
  
"Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon yelled, wondering what to do. She couldn't get a clear shot at the youma, and she had no clue what the Crescent Wand would do to him. "Get out of there!"  
  
He had the presence of mind to pocket the nijizuishou before raising his hands to attempt to break free of the preternaturally strong hold.   
  
"Give Rikoukeidaa your nijizuishou, Sailor Moon, and Rikoukeidaa will let your friend go," the monster purred, apparently naming itself.  
  
Usagi's tortured thoughts were put on the backburner when the minataur beneath her pitched up and sent her flying. She just missed a large statue on top of a marble pedestal depicting a ancient samurai warrior, finally hitting the ground and somehow managing to roll back to her feet.  
  
"Okay, that hurt," she ground out through clenched teeth as she gripped her left shoulder. It had taken the brunt of the fall. She quickly reassessed the situation and found that the dilemma hadn't changed. The creature formerly known as Reika still had her ally in a life-threatening hold, and the labyrinth escapee was hunting her down. She roller her eyes. Just another day at the office...  
  
"I..." She let her eyes fill with tears from pain, and decided to do a flashback to the old Usagi. "WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" she wailed at the top of her lungs.  
  
Rikoukeidaa looked at the crying heroine in amazement. "This is the one who defeated my siblings?" she wondered aloud.  
  
"You're sooooo mean....." Sailor Moon said, sniffling. "I'll give you the nijizuishou I have.... will that be enough? And I'll ask Tuxedo Kamen-sama to give you his..." she whimpered. "Just don't hurt me.  
  
The youma wasn't about to question its good fortune when Sailor Moon produced the red and yellow gems. It released its prisoner, and walked towards Sailor Moon, forgetting about him in her haste.  
  
With both monsters baring down on the supposedly defeated heroine and her partner staring at her as though he'd never seen her before, Usagi bided her time. Just when they were close enough to be unable to retrace their steps and threaten Tuxedo Kamen and far enough away to be unable to stop her she grinned, giving the dumbfounded man an outrageous wink. "You know what?" she asked with her usual spirit, tossing the two gems in the air slightly. "I think I changed my mind. You know how fickle teenagers are. Catch!" she yelled as she threw the nijizuishou in a high arc with marvelous accuracy to land at Mamoru's feet.  
  
Everyone followed the trail of the red and yellow prizes in stunned amazement, Tuxedo Kamen fortunately being the first to recover and scoop them up and start moving. Usagi took advantage of the distraction and drew the Crescent Moon Wand, going into her healing attack as the youma turned their attention back to the blonde hero.  
  
Just as the silvery light and energy was about to connect with Rikoukeidaa, she yanked the startled minataur into its path and rolled out of the way, snarling a barely intelligible threat.  
  
Sailor Moon watched the minataur dissolve with mixed feelings. It was great the brute was gone, but Rikoukeidaa was still wandering around, and the longer she stayed that way...   
  
"Tuxedo Kamen, are you okay?" she called.  
  
"I'm going to have bruise marks tomorrow, but aside from that..." he said, pulling out three roses and fanning them between his right hand.  
  
"Just tell them your girlfriend plays rough," Sailor Moon retorted before looking at Rikoukeidaa. "You need to hold still... this won't hurt that much!"  
  
"Be careful," the caped hero warned the transformed carrier with a sardonic grin, "she tends to say that to me right before things get *really* rough." His eyebrows rose above the edge of the domino mask. "That good enough?"  
  
Sailor Moon couldn't help but laugh. "Whatever works for you. Moon Healing Escalation!" Once more the silvery waves of energy washed out from the magical weapon toward the creature now standing still between both its targets, her rage-filled mind torn over who to rend limb from limb first. She screamed as the light reached its usual blinding intensity, and when it cleared, the ninth grader Rikoukeidaa had sprung from stood briefly before collapsing in a heap on the museum lawn.  
  
"Reika!" both superheroes cried, dashing forward to check that the girl was truly alright. When they found that she was merely unconscious, they shared a huge sigh of relief and a knowing look that revealed how important saving this particular victim had been for both of them.  
  
Usagi hated to disturb the moment of Zen her volatile relationship with Mamoru was having but she needed to clear up a little something about the goal of it all. She opened her mouth to politely demand her crystals back, and now thank you very much, when she gazed into the young man's face before her. She gasped as suddenly Mamoru's midnight blue eyes were visible from behind the normally opaque mask he wore. All the words she was about to say fled from her mind, and she decided the... request could wait until the next time they got together. Somehow, she just knew they'd still get together. "I'll see you tomorrow at Crown," she said softly. "We'd better get going before she wakes up."  
  
He remained where he was, crouched beside his best friend's girlfriend, watching the little enigma that had barreled into his life like a lightning bolt walk away from him. Then, as though he were being tugged after her, he jerked to his feet and hurried to catch the petite blonde. "Hold on a second, Sailor Moon," he said as he reached her, digging into his pocket. "I believe we had a deal. Until tomorrow." He shot her one last smile and leapt to the roofs, quickly running off out of sight.  
  
Usagi looked down at what he had pressed into her gloved hand. There, staring back at her, were the red, yellow, and blue crystals, twinkling merrily in the fading sunlight. A smile slowly transformed her features and she gripped her prize tightly. "Until tomorrow, Mamo-chan. You can count on that." She shook her head and ran off toward home. 


End file.
